It's good to be the King
by The New Mandalord
Summary: The planet of Third Earth is a dangerous place. Passion and pleasure runs this world, and many fall into its trap. But some must choose over rebuilding a new, or living in total destruction. Lion-O/Cheetara fic. Smut. Not for Tygra lovers.
1. Chapter 1

This is not the Third Earth that you might know. True the characters are the same, and the way they emote, act and deal with the consequences are the same, but their world and timeline could not be any more different.

Mumm-ra has returned with an army of lizards, mind washed cats, or just plain traitors such as former Captain Grune. Their goal is simple: Take over all of Third Earth and completely wipe Thundera from existence.

On the other hand is the Empire of Thundera, lead by the aging King Claudus. A noble king in the eyes of his subjects, he rules his empire with a fierce heart and razor claw. Along side him are his two sons, Tygra and Lion-O.

Tygra is the captain of Thundera's most decorated, respected, and feared battalion, the White Tigers. Their military prowess, technology and speed are legendary. The soldiers of the White Tigers are known for ruthless slaughters and unbridled skill in combat. With Tygra at the command, they are invincible. Within days, they would crush city after city, annexing them into the Empire. No one stood a chance.

It is because of this, some believe that Tygra should be king. He is quick as a whip, great swordsman, marksman, and a natural born leader. But he is also arrogant, cocky, extremely brash and a bit of a war hawk. He would rather use brute force then perform a peaceful summit.

Lion-O, on the other hand, is in charge of the Royal Guard, the Thundercats, and the rightful heir to the thrown. He once served with his big brother on the field, but took a bullet in the knee for Tygra. Now he just spends his days acting as the stand-in king during the congress meetings if his father is too bedridden to do it.

Over the years since he has been home, he has gotten quite good at the political game. Able to dodge the landmines and increase productivity of the empire by fifty-five percent. It will be said that under his rule, Third Earth will experience the longest age of peace.

Then come their main bodyguard, and Tygra's current Royal Consort, Cheetara. She is a cleric whose skills take advantage of her immense speed. In the very beginning, she was completely devoted to Tygra. Mind. Soul. And most importantly, body. However since the war, Tygra has been serving in more and more campaigns and less time with her in the homeland.

This is how our story begins...

For the fifth night in a row this week, wildly inappropriate thoughts pervaded the cheetah's mind to the point where Cheetara found herself entirely incapable of any kind of aptitude or competence, which, in her line of duty, could not be tolerated. This evening, she finally came to terms with the fact that she would continue to be plagued by such distractions unless she took matters into her own hands... which she did so quite literally.

In her heavily darkened room, Cheetara found a comfortable position on her knees at the top of her plush bed, her left hand firmly gripping the crest of the ornate headboard in front of her, and her right hand plunged between her thighs. Her head was bowed and her eyes were shut tightly closed in a fierce concentration. As her nimble fingers sought out the sensitive flesh she knew too well, her lips periodically parted to accommodate a modest sigh, or, as her actions grew more frenzied, a stifled moan. She was not thinking of thinking of anyone in the heat of the moment, not even the man whom she would marry and bear his children. Tonight, Cheetara was just a woman thinking of only herself.

Cheetara felt the familiar wave of heat wash over her as her release drew nearer, her heart pounding, her lungs forcing her to pant ferociously in their desperation for oxygen.

Then suddenly, there was a knock at her door:

"Cheetara, are you okay in there?"

In the heat of her own pleasure, the sound of her consort's younger brother kind of made her sober up quite quickly.

"I must be hearing things," she told herself. But she was not only hearing things— there was another knock, followed by:

"Do you need me to come in?"

Cheetara scurried around the room to find her clothes. She panicked as though she left the door wide open and got caught in the act. All that she was able to find was a bathrobe that was several sizes too big for her.

It must have been Tygra's.

"If you're all right, I'll leave you alone..." Lion-O started to walk away. Caused by his permanent injury, he walked with a limp in his stride. It never slowed him down. In fact it made him feel strong, and the palace maidens loved it.

The doors then cracked open slightly. Cheetara popped her head out with a small devil-may-care smile. "Lion-O... What are you doing up so late?"

"I should be asking you the same question. Are you okay in there? I heard some commotion."

"Isn't it a little rude of you to eavesdrop… even if you are the future Emperor."

"I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose. I had a late night call to congress, and last time I check my quarters are this way." It took every once of energy in Lion-O for him not to look down. Cheetara was wearing one of his brother's bathrobes that was far too big for her. Her hair was in disarray, her fur was matted, she appeared to be in a sweat, and she appeared as though she was hiding something.

"Well I'm fine," she said, rather coldly. She wanted to finish this awkwardness as soon as possible.

"Okay, okay," Lion-O said, showing both hands, open and extended, showing Cheetara that he was no threat to her. "I apologize if I care about your well being. You're my best friend and future sister-in-law after all."

"I'm fine. So stop worrying. Good night."

"Good night." Lion-O backed off and started to walk away.

The cheetah bit her lip. This is wrong, her mind lectured. But her body begged to disagree. And for every limping step the lion took away from her, those conflicting thoughts incessantly battled in her mind. Before the Thunderan king got too far, one part of her won that inner argument.

Mind over matter…and the mind had lost this battle.

"Lion-O..."

"Hm?"

"Ca...Can you... stay with me tonight? I... I don't want to be alone...right now."

Cheetara looked at him dead center in the eyes.

She was asking for his company.

It seemed like a benign request, after all she was his future sister-in-law for god's sake. Right? Nothing wrong with that. He gulped and responded, "Alright."

Neither of them had a clue what would transpire next.

Lion-O was worn out and tired from his responsibilities as the future king.

Cheetara was just tired of the lonely nights and the constant waiting for a future husband who loved the battlefield more than her.

Taking a long, deep breath, Lion-O could smell the unforgettable stench of sweat, sex, and shame. He picked it up on Tygra numerous of times when they would annex a part of Mumm-ra's Dominion.

And he can sense it on Cheetara when she opened the door. Now there was no mistake.

She was in heat.

The lion's gaze assessed the disheveled appearance of the bed, as well as the similar appearance of the cheetah. Her robe was gaping slightly, allowing him a glimpse of her body that before today only his brother had the luck to see and touch. Her hair was tousled…and he can tell that it was not because she had been sleeping. When she led him in, the lower part of the robe parted slightly, telling him that beneath that oversized clothing was her bare flesh.

Her scent was beyond telling. Lion-O was not naïve.

That scent. That appearance. That unmistakable noise that alarmed him to knock on her door.

He had allowed his reasoning to falter and had submitted to his physical need.

"So whom were you thinking about?" His question sent a chill up Cheetara's spine as she was hit with the sudden realization that Lion-O caught onto what she had been doing earlier. The idea that he knew was oddly intoxicating. But she didn't want to let him know that.

"What makes you think it was a 'who'?" she responded coyly.

Lion-O laughed. Then, as he spoke, he began to press forward, causing Cheetara to fall back into the bed.

He had moved predatorily over her. His rational mind had given in to his carnal demand. "Well it clearly couldn't be a 'what.' He moved on top of her. "A what could not create that kind of fantasy as much as a who. So who was it? Were you thinking of Tygra, or was someone else making you hot and bothered?"

As he spoke, Cheetara felt a hand—or rather, the tips of his fingers, a feather-light touch—grazed the underside of her thigh, running upward from the crook of her knee toward her hips. Her breath hitched in her throat and her fur stood up along her exposed areas. Lion-O's other palm found purchase placed firmly on the bed next to Cheetara's shoulder, and soon the entire length of his lean body was atop hers, his right knee wedged between hers, slightly creaking because of his injury.

"So tell me," his tone was low and his eyes were roaming over Cheetara's creamy throat and down to her heaving chest, "Who is it that gets you so hot and bothered, Cheetara?" Lazily, Lion-O's fingertips began tracing patterns on the side of Cheetara's supple thigh.

The sensation drove her insane with lust, making her desperate for more. But she wasn't willing to give in just yet…

"I'll never tell you," she spoke defiantly, looking Lion-O straight in the eyes. His gaze darkened dangerously, and his hand left her yearning flesh. Instead, he heaved a sigh as his fingers made contact with Cheetara's collarbone and slid upward along her throat, coming to rest behind her ear, his thumb absentmindedly stroking her flushed cheek.

"Stubborn as always Cheetara…I should have expected this from you. No matter. I already know who it is that plagues your every thought…the person who turns you into a dripping mess, forcing you to pleasure yourself alone, in the dark…" Lion-O's slender fingers unknotted themselves from Cheetara's spotted blonde hair and drew forward along her jaw, pulling her chin upward, her lips now mere inches from his. He smiled deviously, and gently forced her head to the side so he could lean down and whisper into her ear.

"I just want to hear you say it is all." As a last measure of certainty that she would give in, his tongue pressed against the soft flesh just beneath her ear before nibbling on the ear itself. For a moment he teased her, testing the sensitive flesh with his lips, tongue, teeth. The warmth of his breath against her neck drove Cheetara to her breaking point. A whimper escaped her parted lips and to Lion-O, there was no sweeter sound than that of her surrender.

Breathlessly, Cheetara gasped his name, "Lion-O…"

He grinned against her throat, releasing her flesh from his relentless torture.

"What was that? I couldn't hear a thing…"

Cheetara's chest heaved as her heart palpitated. At this point, she was entirely willing to beg.

"Lion-O, please…"

"Are you willing to answering my question? Who is it that brings you to the brink of ecstasy? To make you act like a common streetwalker?" Lion-O's roaming hand began to move once more, ghosting along her ticklish sides, over her hip, and back to her tone thighs.

"You, Lion-O…all I could think of was you," Cheetara's back arched almost involuntarily, craving more contact with the mischievous god looming over her.

His grin broadened in a victorious seduction.

"Now was that so difficult?"

At last, he gave her what she so desired and pressed his hips into hers as he pulled her thigh up and wrapped it around him to allow them to be better interlocked. After positioning her leg to his satisfaction, Lion-O's hand returned to Cheetara's face and turned her toward him so he could capture her lips in a series of fiery kisses. She clutched at his fancy clothing in an attempt to pull him closer. Feeling her eager tugging, Lion-O chuckled against her mouth and gave his hips a good thrust, grinding his pelvis against her soaking core. As he was hoping, his actions elicited a whimper from Cheetara's throat.

By this time her robe was gone, thrown to the other side of the room. Lion-O on the other hand felt trapped within his own clothes. Perfect quality cotton and silk clothes felt like sand paper against his fur.

"Enough foreplay..." Cheetara gasped. "I want it. NOW!"

"Yes, ma'm,"

Lion-O slipped off his hakama and under gear while Cheetara tore open his kosode and started to send a barrage of fiery kisses all over his chest. In one swift movement, even for her, Lion-O flipped her up and over so that she was on top of him.

"I'll save you from your troubles... but I won't rob my brother of your body."

In a sudden movement of his hips, Lion-O slipped his enlarged manhood into Cheetara's rectum. All ten inches, and thick to boot, was thrust right up her. The first thrust was just so shocking to her that there was no scream or gasps or moans. Just a small, "Eep..."

The second and third caused her to scream out in pain. To the point she started to beg that Lion-O should pull out or slow down. From the fourth onwards the pain turned to pleasure. She was moaning, gasping and acting like a wild animal.

Lion-O gave a small smirk as he bucked away into Cheetara. He whispered into her ear, "I want to hear your absolute surrender, Cheetara…I am going to make you scream."

He then slipped one hand into her wet folds, causing her to flow out and experience a series of small orgasms. Cheetara opened her mouth, but no screams came out. For some extra insurrance Lion-O slid his other free hand up Cheetara's tight stomach, teasing her plump breasts, and rubbing her neck. He then inserted two fingers into the cheetah's mouth, muting any gasps that might escape her.

Cheetara's body was acting on its own. She arched her back, rolled and shook her hips, and tightened her rear causing Lion-O to go harder and faster. At that moment she was not someone's fiancee nor a royal guard, she was just a woman experiencing a man for the first time in a long time.

Soon enough though, she felt that unmistakable, indescribable feeling growing more and more in her core. She spat Lion-O's fingers out:

"Lion-O! I'm...!"

Too late. She came, quite violently. Enough to make her quiiver as she shot out like a fountain. It was then when she thought that Lion-O would orgasm as well, pull out, and then they would go their separate ways from there.

Lion-O however, continued his assault. Continuing to pound away at her, even after her great explosion.

"Lion-O, pl...please stop... I can't-" Lion-O stuck his soaked hand into Cheetara's mouth while his other hand moved between her folds. Cheetara rolled her tongue over Lion-O's fingers, tasting every last drop of her own sweet juices.

It took two more orgasms on her part for Lion-O to fulfill on his part. His release had so much power and depth to it, that the cheetah experienced a fourth orgasm. Her felt limp and she passed out on top of Lion-O.

Lion-O smiled to himself as he watched Cheetara explode and fall on his chest in a mess of fur and hair. She was panting heavily, and her fur clung closure to her caused by the sweat on both sides. He pulled her closer and passed out as well. If he played his cards right, they could be doing this daily.

* * *

><p><em>Authors Notes.<em>

_Well faithful listeners, it is official, I have gone to the dark side. I have done a story surrounding sexy smut... Well at least it is a about Lion-O and Cheetara. I have to give credit where credit is due, and that is to Fuuko no Miko: the godmother to all that is smut and revisor of the chapters._

_So read, review and stay cool guys. New Mandalord out._


	2. Chapter 2

The Great Swamp. Homeland to the lizards, and it has been under the steel hand of the Empire since the dark times. But ever since Mumm-ra's return and the raise of his Dominion, things had begun to change more and more. The lizards began to raise their sword against the cats, yet again.

Lion-O, who acts as the stand-in King while his father is back in the homeland, and Ko'va Slithe returning from the Shifting Sands, both declare themselves the rightful rulers of this land neither will yield to each other.

The Great Swamps was once again engulfed in the chaos of war.

The Great Swamp's midlands - the only area that was stable enough for farmland - near the border of Medica and Korava, looked bleakly peaceful. Only the disposed remains of lizards and cat alike lay within the fields. Burnt ciders of former farm houses scattered in the wind as Lion-O and his ThunderCats moved the rendezvous area.

The way he had it figured, if he ever came back here it would be the death of him. His right leg creaked and tensed just at the sight of this land. They were getting close.

They had to go through a small refugee encampment, built for Empire loyalists. This was supposed to be a place of refuge, where these lizards could rest and be healed by their allies. But instead they faced thievery, rape, and prejudice from the same cats who swore to protect them.

"Oh wow," Lion-O's young Sergeant Major, WilyKat, said as he rode alongside him. "Things are worse here than I imagined, your highness." They passed through a row a pikes, each displaying a head of a Mumm-ra supporter. "To think that Medica, once the crown jewel of the Great Swamp's midland, would be turned into this... pitiful state. It'll be a while until we change it back into the paradise it once was."

"WilyKat, don't speak like we are the lord and savior of this land." Lion-O said. "The ones who reduced this prosperous state is us." He then turned his head to the side. "What is that?"

WilyKat looked to where Lion-O was looking. Several companies of the White Tigers were setting up a base of operation, and enjoying the many spoils of battle. "Those are troops you ordered to pull back."

"No, that's not what I meant. What are they doing?"

"Uh... they are pillaging sir," WilyKat said. "And looking for good girls to spend the night with or sell as slaves."

"That is outlawed." Lion-O said abruptly. No hesitation or hint of emotion. "I want those soldiers to demoted three ranks. If any refuse, then they are to be beheaded and strung up on their own pikes along the road as punishment and example."

"Sire, that is kind of harsh. I mean, taking spoils of wars is as old as war itself. To have that outlawed is..."

"We cannot go around acting like the greater of two evils. If we do, then this war will never end." Lion-O said. "I shall say it again, demote them. If they refuse, kill them."

WilyKat was hesitant at first, but followed his commander's order. "Yes, sire."

As WilyKat ordered his soldiers, Lion-O looked over to the camouflaged tents; seeing an old friend and his staff planning out the next campaign.

"I am honored that you made the journey all the way out here, your highness." General of the armies, Panthro, gave a small nod to Lion-O. That was as far as he was going to bow.

"Panthro," Lion-O pounded his fist with Panthro's large metallic fists. "It is good to see you again. I'm actually shocked to see you're still drawing breath."

"Grune keeps trying, I can tell you that much. How is your leg feeling, any nostalgia?"

"Any time I breathe or look around," Lion-O chuckled. "How are the arrangements?"

"It is all ready, sire." Panthro said. "We are still waiting for Tygra's word. But I don't think this is going to work as you plan. Might scare them a bit, but not completely surrender."

"No, no." Lion-O said. "Since I'm here to inspect the battle, I should make sure that my plan works."

"Haj-Ei of Medica is a timid lizard," Panthro said. "You should not worry about him."

"A man's character and value as a pawn are two completely different things." Lion-O said. "I shall go and decide for myself. And also, there is another reason why I came all the way out here."

"Speaking of which..."

There was a low, growing rumbling noise coming across the midland like thunder rolling. This was then followed by someone yelling out, "LIIOONN-OOOO!"

Tygra was charging leagues ahead of his lieutenants, and did not care one way or another that he was about to address his commander and chief... or how many innocent civilians were in his way. Either way, he was **.

"Tygra must first be calmed down," Lion said as he dismounted from his ride. "He and his men can be quite the baggage."

"Agreed." Panthro sighed.

Tygra jumped off his ride and allowed it to keep charging through the camps. He had better things to do.

"You little shithead!" he spat at his adoptive brother. "How 'bout I greet you with my fists."

"Tygra, you looked like hammered **." Lion-O said, quite calmly when compared to his brother.

"WHY YOU... YOU... GAHHARAL!" He could not put his frustration and tension into words. Just a loud roar. "I hate being stopped in the middle of the fight! I hate it even more then retreating!"

His own lieutenants had now caught up to him, and were keeping their captain from attack the stand-in king.

"Medica has called for a truce." Lion-O explained. "The outcome of our battle here has already been decided."

"YOU IDIOT!" Tygra yelled. "A battle is something that will not... no should not end, not until the enemy commander's head has been taken! A little more and would have had Haj-Ei's head!"

"Don't be concerned over such petty matters. Haj-Ei is merely the lord of Medica. You must open your eyes. There is someone much greater that you have to defeat."

"I don't care about that! I just want to finish what I started!"

"In the East, Grune's son, Graves, has shown signs of suspicious movements." Panthro explained. "Your assistance is needed for the upcoming battle in the eastern front. Tygra, your overwhelming prowess in battle is needed elsewhere."

"I decide who and where I fight my battles, you gods-damned greyskin!" Tygra then turned back to his brother. "Lion-O! You haven't forgotten, what I said back then, have you? What you're gonna do from now on, and who you're gonna become. I'm gonna see with my two eyes. You still haven't accomplished anything. A greenhorn that hasn't even become the emperor of Thundera yet."

His temper seemed to cool a bit, but he still chastised Lion-O.

"You can't keep avoiding your battles, little brother. The road that lies ahead of us can only be crossed in iron, bullets and a whole lot of blood." He then noticed that his men where still holding on to him. So he started to throw them off. "Just how long are you gonna hold onto me for? Get off!"

As he started to walk away, Tygra said, "I'll go easy on you today and walk away. But I'll warn you little brother, do something like this again and there will not be a second time."

"You have to admit, you brother has gotten quite brash as of lately." Panthra whispered to Lion-O. "His impudence might get him in trouble."

"No, he gave me some good advice." Lion-O said. "He is a man that has nothing to hide. "How pleasant would life be if we could live like him." Panthro was just at a lost for words. "Hey, Tygra! Is there anything you want me to tell Cheetara?"

"No. Just that I'll be home as soon father croaks."

"That's rather dark." Lion-O remounted his animal and took off. "Let's go visit Haj-Ei, shall we?"

The inside of Haj-Ei's helm glowed like the sun in mid day. Mountains of gold ignots. Flawless cut diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, garnets, and amethysts embedded into expert artisan made jewelry. Chests over flowing with coins. Deeds to land. Ivory tusks of great fallen beasts. Headdresses decorated with the Ebony weapons and glass-smithed armor from days of old. Fine rugs and clothes imported from half way from across the world. And most importantly, barrels filled with aged, spiced liquor; one of the lizard's luxurious exports.

All of this laid at the feet of Lion-O, Panthro and WilyKat. Panthro was unimpressed. Lion-O kept his gaze focused straight ahead. WilyKat could not help but look down. Kaj-Ei and his kin stood next to it.

"This is all I have." Haj-Ei said, clearly not proud of what he has to do to guarantee peace. "This should be worth around eighty-thousand pounds of gold. This is my offering. This shall be all yours if you agree to pull your troops from Medica. This should not be a bad deal at all."

"In other words, a danegeld, Haj-Ei."

"What is your reply, Lion-O?"

Lion-O picked up a jewel encrusted necklace. A silver laced amulet this several strands of diamond, rubies and emeralds. The main jewel was a blood red diamond, crafted into a fang. Lion slip it into his pocket.

"This is much too cheap." the lion said with a twisted smile. He then climbed up the small hill of fortune and glitter until he stood dead center, and all eyes were on him. "Let me get this straight. You wish for me to accept this payment and quietly leave Medica. Is that right, Haj-Ei?"

"Yes. But it's eighty thousand pounds!" Haj-Ei explained. "There's no way this would be enough for a danegeld!"

"It's still not enough." Lion-O said. "You would realize that if you only thought about what you were doing." Lion-O looked down on the lizard with the kind of cold look that would freeze moving water. "In essence, you have asked me, the king of Thundera, to leave land that already belongs to him. And yet you still think this meager amount excuses you to commit an act of such disrespect to the king himself?"

Haj-Ei was at a lost of words with so much hatred and resentment towards his former leader.

"I am your king!" Lion-O said. "And your king has come personally to this land to quell the rebellion."

"Silence!" Haj-Ei's eldest son, Kam-Ei, spoke what his father was truly thinking. "Our true king is lord Slithi of the Great Marsh, not you!"

"Quiet!" Haj-Ei hissed.

"But father!"

"I said quiet! Now is not the time for such talk!"

"Certainly, you have pointed that out, already," Lion-O spoke in the lizard's native tongue. "There is another man calling himself the rulers of the Great Marsh. But what of him? Was it he who allowed you to make this offer?"

Both Haj-Ei and Kam-Ei glared at Lion-O. "No, but even if he knew, I'm sure our Ko'va would understand my clans actions."

"Hm... how generous he is..." Lion-O chuckled a bit. "Slithi would actually allow one of his governors to withdraw from the battle for the sake of their territory?"

"I forgot how malicious Lion-O can be during these talks." WilyKat thought and backed away. His body armor was weighted more with riches.  
>Panthro just chuckled a bit, which was a rare sight in itself. It is said that whenever Panthro laughs, Mumm-ra looses twenty battles.<p>

"Chaos can only come from having multiple kings." Lion-O stepped off his small island of riches, and addressed them in the more common language. "And thus, one must die. Slithi, is nothing more than a coward who abandoned his people and throne during the last campaign. Don't you think it is foolish to entrust the Great Marsh with that sort of man?"

"Are you... asking me... to betray my lord?"

"You have already betrayed Slithi. This small summit has already shown that." Lion-O said. "I merely wish to employ your clan's special talents. I would like to assassinate Slithi. As of shadow assassins and his most trusted retainer, I'm sure you would know of several good methods to achieve that."

"You wish me to rob me of my money, land, and now my loyalty and pride? You damn silverspoon!"

"In return Medica shall become apart of the Empire once again, will receive full pardons for supporting Mumm-ra's Dominion, and be granted to all privileges as Empire civilians." Lion-O looked the lizard dead center in the eye. Showing no fear of the very real danger he was putting himself into. "Think of this as the price for Slithi's head."

"I REFUSE!" Haj-Ei snapped, showing a full set of razor sharp teeth. "The negotiations are over as well! I vow to fight you cats and personally use your pelt as a rug!"

Lion-O looked back at Panthro, "Panthro, didn't you say that this lizard was a coward?"

"Yes, I did."

"He seems to have quite the backbone, then."

"Your hieghness," Panthro smiled a bit, "How about we test how determined he truly is?"

Lion-O sighed, turned on his heel, and then walked out of the great hall.

"Haj-Ei, follow me," Lion-O said. "I have something to show you."

It was close to the evening hours, and the sun was just setting over the far and ever stretching horizon. Lion-O's ThunderCats were all busy messing with a pyre of pitch covered logs and hay.

"Are the preparations complete?" Lion-O asked.

"Yes, your highness." the soldiers all cleared off the pyre and disposed of the wool clothing they used to build it.

"Light up!"

A puma with a flamethower shot an ever burning stream of fire ate the pyre. It soon exploded as a towering inferno into the night sky.

"A signal fire?" Haj-Ei asked. "This is what you dragged me out here for? What is the meaning of this, Lion-O?"

"Father! Look over there!" Kam-Ei pointed to the east, towards Korava , where several towers of smoke and flames could be seen. But that was not the only state that had Lion-O's signal, it was also seen in Axton, Lilium, Saul, Helstorm, Stormkeep, and even the capital of Blackrose. In short, all of the Great Marsh was on fire.

"Lion-O! What is the purpose of this signal!"

"It is to simply show you what will happen if you attempt to fight me." Lion-O said, still keeping up his cold demeanor. Not even his leg showed signs of weakness. "Think very carefully, Haj-Ei. The whole of the Great Marshcould have been in flames at this very instant." Haj-Ei and his clan were dumbfounded and in a state of terror. "Do you understand now? If I wanted to, I've could have burnt the entire Great Marsh down with ease."

Haj-Ei's knees gave out, and he collapsed. His sons were there to catch him, but not save him from the Thunderian's piercing eyes.

"For the price of Slithi's head, we can be one once more. Is this not a good deal?"  
>A week after the meeting, Ko'va Slithi died of 'illness.' After Slithi's death, his son Sli-ki suceeded the throne. He tried to wage another front against the Empire. Three days later, he too died caused by an 'illness.'<p>

In a bar just out side of Blackrose, Tygra did not have the festive attitude as much as the rest of his men.

"Ha, an illness they say," WilyKat said, slightly drunk from his first taste of lizard beer. "This invasion, that took ten long months, has been settled in less then two weeks." He started to look over the ebony knife he took from Haj-Ei and started to twirl it effortly in his hands. "Congress and the king had finally recognized Lion-O as the official Emperor. The coronation will be held as soon as the war is finished."

"'Nuff about Lion-O already!" Tygra snapped. "You're making the beer taste bad!"

Incidentally, Haj-Ei of Medica tried to betray Lion-O shortly after the victory. So he and his entire clan died caused by an illness.

The ship ride back to the homelands was a long and rather boring one. Fortunately, Lion-O was not alone. A certain cleric was with him, and he was giving her some much needed company... while also giving her some much needed love.

Cheetara slept on her stomach, her right arm tucked under her pillow, her left hand curled against her chest. Lion-O watched her for a moment, seated beside her of the edge of his built-for-a-king sized bed. They were both naked and smelled of sex. If that was not enough, the waves caused the ship to rock that would lull the most hardened warrior to sleep within seconds. It felt like a dream quite honestly. But even with this peace atmosphere and fine company, Lion-O still felt troubled with himself. As if part of him died when he ordered all of those subjects to be killed. It seemed that his childhood ideals had no place on a battlefield.

Still, he couldn't help but reach out and touch her, the tips of his fingers barely grazing her fair cheek, her neck, her body set a glow. Cheetara stirred a bit, drawing in a little breath, and Lion-O was quick to retract his hand for fear of her waking. Still she slept. He heaved a quiet sigh of relief, and pulled himself up off of the bed... cautiously. After taking one last look at the resting cleric, he turned on his heel, his back to the bed and made an attempt to get his clothes and leave as silently as he could.

"What troubles you, Lion-O?" Cheetara whispered.

Cheetara's voice, soft and concerned, was enough to slow him down. He stopped, his heart skipping erratically in his chest, and turned back around to see Cheetara sitting upright, the blankets bunched around her hips, one arm propping her up, the other resting across her stomach. Her blond, spotted hair fell in waves down to her shoulders, her eyes, barely open, looked glazed, as if she was in a dream or under some powerful drug. She looked so beautiful.

Lion-O sighed again, audibly, and fell back onto his bed with a soft thump. He leaned forward and ran his hands over his face.

"There are too many things I can't control, Cheetara," he said, still not able to face her. "I don't know what to do right now. I feel like something inside me died out there. As if I finally saw the evils I grew up with. And for the first time... in a long time...I just don't know what to do."

At last, he tipped his chin over his shoulder to look at Cheetara, who had not moved since he sat down. She met his gaze dead on, for a moment or two, then exhaled noisily through her nose and lifted her left hand to weave her fingers briefly through his hair, smoothing the wild mane.

"Do you always need to know exactly what to do?" She asked with a lazy chuckle in her tone. "Would it be the end of the universe if, for once, you acted on a whim rather than some organized and dramatic plan?"  
>She said with a gentle smile. Although she understood Lion-O's concerns, she sometimes wished he was not so dramatic about his negotiations. But that was Lion-O, quick and decisive, while also being mischievous and theatrical, and she quickly decided that she wouldn't want him any other way.<p>

Lion-O didn't respond, but the hint of a good-humored grin graced his features. Cheetara pushed herself up and tucked her legs under her so that she sat comfortably closer to him. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but something stopped her.

Instead, she began to study his face. The vague uneasiness that fogged his bold gaze...the unwelcome frown that pulled at his face...even his fur looked sickly. Cheetara suddenly felt very sad. And in that instant, she made up her mind that it was her responsibility to look after him—to get his impish ways set again, the unpredictable spark back in his eye. If he had gone through the trouble of coming to see her in the middle of the night, there must have been something she could do.

His eyes were fixed on some distant point, a thousand miles away.

"I felt like I could change the future. Tygra and I could create future of ever lasting peace... Now..." he trailed off, unable to figure out just what he wanted to say. "I saw him today... and I barely recognized him. It was as if that fire he had when we were young was completely gone..." He laughed bitterly and threw his hands up in a broad gesture that seemed to signal his reluctant acceptance of his helplessness.

Now he was growing more hysterical than depressed. His break down was obvious. Cheetara remained silent. Somehow she knew that Lion-O wasn't really looking for solutions or opinions as much as someone that would listen to what he really wanted to say; completely uncensored. And he had found that in her. There was no need to hold anything back around Cheetara.

Still, she sat there, quiet, and contemplated her next move. Finally, she began to lift her hand to reach out to him, a slow, subtle movement. But Lion-O, not seeing her intentions, suddenly sucked in a sharp breath and spoke "I'm sorry for waking you. I'm sure you want me gone; you're just too polite to say so. So I understand."

He lifted to his feet. Cheetara felt the bed rise where he was sitting, and for some reason, the loss of that warmth next to her made her have that empty feeling again. She acted on impulse, "Lion-O. Wait."  
>She clambered onto her knees so fast that she nearly toppled over the edge of the bed. Lion-O turned just in time to catch her by the arm and help her back up. Even once she was comfortably situated, he didn't let go of her. He released her arm at last, savoring the feel of her fur. She took his hand in hers and held it tight. Perhaps, she thought, if she clutched him tightly enough, he wouldn't leave.<p>

"Don't go," she said, barely above a whisper. Those two words made Lion-O's chest tighten up. More pain than anything he had felt on the battlefield. Her reaction that night left him confused, but happy. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Cheetara, you don't have to pretend-"

"If I was pretending, do you think I would have taken it this far?" she asked, seeming to be in the borderlands of annoyed, frustrated and desperate. "Lion-O... you mean everything to me."

She smiled up at him comfortingly while she absentmindedly traced little patterns on the back of his hand. Lion-O couldn't help but match her grin. He knew she was telling the truth.

"I have watched you grow from a hotheaded warrior, to the leader we all need. But in my honest opinion..." she brought his hand to her face and placed a kiss on his knuckles, "A little distraction wouldn't hurt."  
>Then both of his hands cupped her face, pulling her into the kiss. Deeper and deeper, until their tongues melded as they explored each other's mouth. A soft whimper formed in Cheetara's throat. Her hands unlocked themselves from around Lion-O's arms and slid up his shoulders and over his chest, clutching at his fur to keep herself close.<p>

After what seemed like a trip to oblivion and back, she felt his hands slip away, his fingers teasing her flesh as they ran down the length of her milky neck. They finally broke the kiss, though slowly, and neither was eager to move. Or maybe they didn't know what to do next. Cheetara was first to break the heavy silence.

Cheetara moved up to meet him, wrapping her arms around his neck once more and pulling him down onto the bed with a fiery kiss. That feeling—that intimate contact—nearly overwhelmed them both. Lion-O found himself in no particular hurry, instead taking his sweet time in appreciating the softness of her fur, her chest pressed against his. His hands immediately went for her hips, blazing a trail over her stomach and supple thighs.  
>Cheetara gave a breathy moan as she felt Lion-O's wandering hands pull her legs around him. She ran her fingers down his back and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, lavishing in the soft, sensitive flesh. She let the sensations flood through her senses for a moment, savoring every moment of the warmth of him and the feel of his lips on her body. But then she thought of something.<p>

"Lion-O..." she moaned.

"Mm?" He responded, but didn't stop pressing kisses to her neck. He began moving toward her collarbone, placing a little bite there that elicited goose bumps all over her body. The bites were not big enough to be a mate marking, but he was giving her the idea.

She gasped a little and spoke again. "I think I know just what you need…"

At last she caught his attention. He stopped and lifted his head, using his quivering arms to keep himself held up above her. His eyes flickered over her face, pleased to see her cheeks colored a rosy pink.  
>"And what's that?" He asked.<p>

Cheetara surprised him by rolling over onto her left side, pushing him onto his back and with her moving on top. She straddled his hips and leaned down to kiss him, quashing any protests he might have had. She broke the kiss and pressing her lips to his ear, whispered:  
>"Let me distract you…"<br>She kissed his neck, her tongue briefly tasting the bitterness of his sweaty, heated body. Acting like a hormone driven vixen, she began to move down, pressing a small kiss to the center of his chest. As she continued to move down his taut abdomen, her lips teasing increasingly sensitive senses, Lion-O suddenly became aware of her intent and his breath caught in his throat. Cheetara felt his muscles contract beneath her lips—and she was also certain she heard him gasp—as she ran her tongue down his navel.

Lion-O finally found his voice, and choked out, "Tara-"

Moments before he felt her lips, warm, soft, supple and plump, brush the head of his **. His voice was gone again, without any mercy.

Cheetara did not hesitate, feeling as though she had teased him enough, and welcomed his length into her mouth. Lion-O's lips fell open as a strangled moan escaped him, his head pressed back into the pillows that decorated the king's bed.

Pleased by his reaction, Cheetara continued, letting her tongue work its dark magic. One of Lion-O's hands clenched the sheets tightly, while the other went to her, his fingers running through her hair and brushing loose locks out of the way.

She felt his hips buck beneath her as she was relentless on her assault. The tip of her tongue ran along the underside of his rigid length and he was nearly undone. Desperate to put an end to the most pleasurable torment he'd ever endured, he managed to utter her name again and begged her to stop, his hand untangling itself from her hair.

Cheetara looked up at her with seductive, predator eyes, and felt good inside. She was hesitant, at first, but stopped and released him from the onslaught. She lifted her head and licked her lips, her eyes locked onto her lover. She watched his chest heave with every labored breath, his red mane a bit disheveled.

She smiled and then took complete advantage of Lion-O's weakened state. She took in all of Lion-O, to the point where she was at the base and he could feel the back of Cheetara's throat. She started to suck harder and take in more of him, use both her tongue and teeth along the length. Lion-O was fighting a losing battle, trying harder and harder with every passing moment to fight off the impending climax. With both hands, Lion-O grabbed Cheetara's head and forced her down as far as he could; he even bucked his hips up for an extra measure.

Lion-O let out a roar as he climaxed. To act as pay-back for their first night together, Cheetara did not slow or forcefully pull away like he expected to. She continued sucking on him hard, taking out every drop and massaging the underside of his ** with her tongue.

When she finally pulled out, several streams of ** shot out and covered Cheetara's face and breasts. Some even got in her hair. Cheetara, intoxicated by the scent of his bodily fluids and breathless from her ministrations, had a certain glow to her. It was something that Lion-O could not describe, but just the mere sight of her made him hard again.

After taking in a deep breath of life giving air, she rolled off the bed and stretched. She purposely posed herself so that Lion-O could get a view of her perfect breasts and well shaped **. She walked off to the private baths and said, "Come along my king. Let's get cleaned up before we dock."

There was nary a sign of resistance on Lion-O's part.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes<em>

_Hello people, if you made it past the summary and first chapter, you can kind of tell that I do not like Tygra. He just reminds me too much of the Lion King._

_I chose to make Lion-O a little less passive. I figure that if he is going to be King, and then Emperor, he might as well know how to... um... negoiate._

_Now if you excuses me, I have to go mop up Fuuko..._

_Later. _


	3. Chapter 3

Slavery is a common practice in both the Empire and Dominion. The Empire does not take it extreme, like the Dominion does, instead they label it as Indentured Servitude. Sure the concept was different, but the practices were still the same.

In the Dominion, slavery is their strongest sources of income. So to slow the steady flow of money going into the Dominion, Tygra decided to raid their ships... and reap any goods they find. Sure it meant demotion and possible beheading if Lion-O ever found out. But the way Tygra had it figured, what his brother does not know won't hurt them.

After slaughtering the captain, crew, and whatever mercenaries they had as private security, Tygra ordered that all the slaves be moved from the crippled slave ship to their ships. Because most of them were women, private biddings began as soon as they were brought on. Some got so bad that once comrades almost killed each other.

Tygra, on the other hand, was tired from the days activities and decided to rest for the rest of the trip home. Fury still flowed within him, and this power made him feel invincible. Nothing could stop him. But when he reached his chambers, he stared in amazement.

In the middle of the room stood a half naked vixen whose beauty transcended anything in Tygra's experience. She had her hands on cocked hips and hair of raven black, darker than the darkest night, but this was not what Tygra noted. She was naked to the waist, a skirt swirling about the rest of her trim body. Her bare breasts were firm and high, capped with pink nubs that pointed at him in wanton invitation.

"Were you a slave on that ship?"

"Are you the captain? I hope so," the young woman said, leaning toward him with a beckoning finger. "I like your looks better."

Tygra heard a moan in the hull and looked to be a pipe did not break. When he turned back, he blinked in surprise. The vixen still stood in front of him, hands on her hips, hair wild and black and lustrous. But she was no longer naked to the waist. Rather, she wore a tunic - and had no skirt. She was naked from the waist down, when only an instant before...

"You were imprisoned with magical locks. You're a witch?"

"That's not a nice thing to say. We _aren't_ witches!"

"We?" Tygra blinked. There were two vixens, identical in beauty, but one was naked about the waist and the other below. "What are you?"

"Twins," they answered as one.

"The captain was a cruel master. He gave us only one set of clothes," said the twins with the tunic.

The twin with the skirt showed a bit of a pout. "We shared the best we could. Do we not please you?"

"No, I-"

"No?" they cried in unison. "Then we'll take off these offending rags!"

And they did.

Tygra was willing to admit that this greatly improved the view. "I begin to understand why this captain kept you locked away. Identical down to the last fur pattern."

"Not so," said the one on the left. "Kora's has a heart pattern on her left thigh. See?"

Tygra did.

"Zora and I are _completely_ different," said the other.

"Do you do everything together?"

The twins exchanged a look, then moved forward with a single mind. Their answer became obvious as they stripped him of his clothing and led him to his wide, soft bed. The only complaint Tygra had was clumsily tripping over his own armor in the midst of their doubled passion.

Tygra stood naked as they dropped to their knees, his shaft wasn't at full hardened but it was still an impressive size, Kora was the first to touch it wrapping her soft hand around his girth eliciting a rumble from the prince, both vixens smiled at the actions placing their lips to his shaft in unison feeling it throb against their mouths, giving each other a quick glance they wordlessly decided who would taste him first

Zora got the 'honors' moving her lips to the tip of his shaft working them around the head until it rested on her tongue, Tygra growled under his breath taking a handful of her dark hair as his cock became fully thickened in her hot wet mouth, her head bobbed along his length as his hips began to rock in tandem assisted by Kora who placed a hand on both Tygra's waist and Zora's head; aiding their movements. Zora mainly took the act in her stride, occasionally coughing lightly when the head of his shaft poked her throat, when Kora deemed her new master's cock hard and wet enough she pulled Zora's mouth from it and moved the woman to her bed, Zora got the message laying back on her elbows with her legs spread, her eyes pleading and her body wanting.

Tygra took in the sight before him before acting on it, mounting the bed and shadowing the vixen under him, Zora's eyes dilated as what she had been pining for the last few months finally came true, he nudged at her entrance with the tip of his shaft as Kora laid down next to them, stroking Tygra's back as she watched intently, Zora began to pant and keen as the prince slowly penetrated her, Kora licked her lips watching her master's cock become slick with her sister's juices sliding slowly in and out of her core, the slaves's hand went from his back to grip his mane, pulling his mouth to hers whilst moving her free hand to Zora's clit. Rubbing it as Tygra's pace grew harder and faster.

Gripping the covers, Zora let her head fall back and her mouth hang open, the feeling of the prince inside of her was pure ecstasy. Every time she felt it and after every time she craved it more, she raised her legs opening herself up more, allowing his thick powerful cock to plunge even deeper into her, her back arched and her eyes rolled back when she was sure that he was pushing into her womb, her toes curled in the air and she began to beg for more, not caring if any of Tygra's men could hear them outside, hell she wouldn't even care if they had their ears pressed to the wall, she hoped it gave them good material for their own lonely nights.

Kora growled against Tygra's mouth before tearing away to lick along Zora's throat. Her arousal was awakening her primal animal nature and as soon as Tygra was done with Zora she would push the weaker sister aside; demanding her turn. Tygra's own tiger blood began to boil as his tempo grew ever higher, the bed began to creak and shake under his power and Zora could feel her body bruising.

But she was so high, and numb, she could care less.

Her stomach starting to tense, the slave grabbed onto the princes shoulders. Digging her sharp nails in deeper, securing herself in place preparing for her surely explosive orgasm, Tygra snarled at the sting of the nails, his eyes growing dark and his teeth becoming sharper fangs, his hips crashed against Zora's as his cock throbbed inside her, signaling his approaching explosive release, precum started to coat her insides and her breasts began to bounce harder from the speed and force.

The other slave growled again, hungrily kissing Zora, partly to muffle her scream when she came and to have something to touch, her loins were burning with an intense fire and she began to mentally beg for Zora's release just so she could have her turn.

Her prayers were eventually answered when the weaker sister screamed into her mouth in time for Tygra to let out a primal roar, his seed flooded her like a river, filling her to the brim as her core clenched and rippled around his cock milking him for everything he was worth.

Zora quietly sobbed from the painfully, blissful aftershocks as Tygra slowly pulled out of her, extra cum dripped from her core onto the covers beneath her. One look at it and Kora could not resist, she moved between Zora's legs, starting to lap at her cunt and licking up any stray cum that escaped moaning from the combined flavors.

Her moan soon became a series of screams as her master took the chance to grab her from behind and forcibly penetrate her, her eyes dilated and rolled back as she was forcibly stretched wide around his girth. His large powerful hands on the globes of her ass, pulling her back to him as he thrust forward, she balanced herself on her elbows resting her head on Zora's thighs panting with each rough thrust into her.

Zora lay exhausted, watching the act before her. The only time she ever witnessed Kora in any submissive position, outside the bedroom she was calm, stoic and commanding, but behind... she was quick to get on her knees or on all fours.

Her trail of thought was cut off as her hand was suddenly clasped by her sister, who squeezed it tightly. Glancing down again she saw Kora's eyes were shut painfully tight and that she seemed to be having difficulty forming understandable words, and at that moment, even during the near violent mating she was enduring, she wanted security. Zora squeezed her hand back taking her other hand in her free one holding them both. She saw Kora only, and just barely, mouthed thank you before kissing her sister's thigh as a show of gratitude, making Zora lightly smiled.

Tygra pushed forward, shadowing Kora and showing how much power he truly had. Under him, from the constant onslaught, caused her to let out a choked scream. He was just as deep inside of her as he was in Zora and for a moment Kora wondered how the weaker sister could have withstood it. It felt like he was in her chest from the angle he was taking her, and the way he increased his speed and roughness, she could tell he was nearing his final and greatest release.

She steeled herself for the release, feeling herself getting close as well. Her nails dug into Zora's body, but the vixen kept quiet. Her couplings with her sister always left her with many scratches and the ghosts of bite marks.

Moments later Kora howled against Zora's core as she was sent into a mind blowing orgasm. The sensation of it set off several small orgasms through Zora in action. The feeling of the slave's cunt clenching tighter was too much for the prince and he too howled in ecstasy. It felt like his soul had left his body and was allowed entrance to Paradise for several minutes, bucking hard into the slave's willing body with every stream of cum.

Minutes passed before they had finally finished. Collapsing in a sweaty heap. Three sets of limbs tangled together as the vixens found their place against the prince's chest, Kora and Zora kissed passionately as they rested. Feeling Tygra's powerful heartbeat against their cheeks.

Afterward, he awoke with a vixen on his left and another on the right - he had lost track of which was Kora and which was Zora, but he knew better than to check their defining marks. That would only spark demands for more lovemaking, and he had an army above decks to command.

"I want more wine," he said, reaching over one vixen to get his hand around the bottle on the desk.

"We are your willing slaves, Lord Tygra," one of the said.

The other added, "So as long as you can keep us satisfied."

"The captain had concubines in his cabin-" Tygra began.

"Oh, yes, he kept girls _all_ for his own," a twin said, a little sadly. "He never touched us."

"Never?" Tygra asked with his classic smirk. Finding out that he broke in two virgins was enough to almost get him hard again... almost.

The other sighed. "He wasn't _man_ enough. After two or three of the crew died, he locked us away."

"They... died?" Tygra could not quite make sense of this. "So the captain locked you up? They died doing... what?"

"Us," one said brightly.

The other contributed a perk nod. "He wanted to keep his crew and merchandise safe. From us. We have been _very_ lonely."

Tygra said slowly, "I see."

"And we're so happy to have met you... and that you didn't die. Really."

"Likewise," Tygra said. He reflected that this trip back to the homeland might be more interesting than he had anticipated.

The twin on his left stroked the bulge of muscle at his shoulder. "Are you a-"

"-king, Master Tygra?" finished the twin on his right side.

"I'm only a soldier," he said.

"A great soldier," said one.

"A champion," agreed the other.

"I have been given a job by the king and emperor. Both of which happen to be family."

"That sounds-"

"-dangerous," the twin said.

"We don't _want_ to be free. We _want_ to be your slaves."

"Forever," said the other. "Or at least until you die. You're _very_ strong, master."

"And so large." they both rubbed on Tygra in all of the right places. A lesser, more naive man would not stand a chance.

Tygra had nothing to say. He just laid back and enjoyed the feeling.

"We never want to go to-"

"-Antilia. It's a terrible, cold place, or so-"

"-we've heard."

Tygra cursed the family he was adopted into. If it was not for the bloodline and traditions he was placed in, he could be like other men and lose himself entirely in the pleasures of the flesh without the jeering eyes of press. But even Kora and Zora, for as talented as they were, could not deny the fact that he would be married when the war was over, to a woman who was waiting quite faithfully for him.

"This ship will dock in Thudera regardless," he said, swinging his legs around and getting out of the bed. The wine under his feet had turned as sticky as blood. He started to wipe it off, but the twins scampered lithely from the bed.

"Allow us to do that, Lord Tygra." They cleaned his feet lovingly, enough so to make him completely hard again.

"So who wants to take responsibility?"

After another two hours of hot, sweaty love making. Tygra finally put his uniform back on and headed for the door.

"You can come on deck," Tygra told the twins, "but dress completely."

"There is nothing for us to wear in this cabin," they said in unison."

"That's not my problem," he said curtly. "In my honest opinion, you two should just walk around naked. But I don't want you killing half my crew."

"Will we ever see you again, Master?" they asked as one.

"Well I do have a fiance at home. If and when she becomes burdened with our child, I will need someones' to keep me company."

They looked at each other and smiled. They then searched around the room for something to around like seductive temptresses. Tygra had to leave before he got excited again.

As he walked along the narrow hallway, Tygra was stopped by his first lieutenant, Bengali. The white tiger had served in every campaign with the prince, and never once showed any sign of weakness, fatigue, or fear. All of those emotions were clearly shown as he caught his breath.

"Bengali? What's wrong?"

"A slave, my lord," he looked up at Tygra, his face and arms were peppered with dark red blood. "A slave killed eight of our men."

Tygra followed Bengali to where they were keeping this feral slave. He was debating whether he just just kill it and toss it overboard for the sharks. Sure it will be one less to sell, but at least it will serve an example to the other slaves if they descide to riot.

But before he had time to decide, he stood before a tall, beautiful puma who was chained to the wall. Her feral beauty stole his voice. The fray translucent strips of green silk she wore as a skirt beguiled, moving to hide and then reveal her legs and thighs and hips. Wrapped around her bodice, the diaphanous cloth clung with static fierceness to every delicate and supple curve.

In her hair were gold rings, braided in at the ends, as well as feathers from a hawkling. She had several white strips running directly through the middle and the sides of her brown hair. But her eyes, her dark yellow eyes, had a certain fire in them. If Tygra played his cards right, he might have one hell of a lover.

"Did you get a name off her?" Tygra asked.

"We tried, but we can't understand her language," Bengali explained.

"How did she kill the guards?"

"Two tried to get her ornaments. Two others tried again. And then the last four tried to take advantage of her. We almost lost another three just tying to get her locked up."

"I see," Tygra became more intrigued. "Open the door. I want to inspect this woman."

The remaining guards did as they were told without questions or hesitation. Tygra stepped in and started to run his fingers along her body.

"She is no more then a beautiful, pride-filled puma," the puma then snapped at Tygra's fingers as they traced over her mouth. Luckily he pulled them away fast enough to spare them. "More like deadly cobra."

"Not much of a snake charmer, are you?" Bengali joked.

"That is why I'm going to give her to Lion-O," Tygra left the cage, letting the puma to rattle around and yell at him in her sing-song language all she wanted. "I figure that a emperor needs an empress to rule. And with that much passion, he could be having plenty of heirs."

"But she might kill him."

"Oh, that will be wonderful. Put me and Cheetara on the throne."

"You're a mad genius, sir."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes:<em>

_Hello people. This might be my last chapter because I fear that I'll be killed by crazy fangirls_

_Tygra: the ladies know whom to love._

_Shut up Tygra or I'll wear you as a coat! Anyways, I'll keep going no matter what. Nothing can stop me. NOTHING!_

_Later._


	4. Chapter 4

The sound of swords clashing together came from one of the palace's many training yards. Young WilyKat was sparring against Lion-O for the chance at being an officer in his ThunderCats. It was a tradition as old as Thundera itself. To raise into the rank of an officer _amongst_ the ThunderCats, any man or woman must display a rank of Sergeant Major, show great abilities in terms of leadership, and serve in over five campaigns.

The last thing was to successfully hold one's own against a fellow officer in a sword fight. Preference in weapon and fighting style is theirs to choose from, as long as it includes using a blade weapon.

In the past, deaths were not uncommon, and officers would go at a shocking rate. But now this tradition has been fined tuned to a sharpened edge that the only real injuries are just minor scratches. Though the technology has advanced to high-powered rifles, tanks that mimic small earthquakes, and artillery that brings the very sky down, it was nice to at least have something that seemed somewhat civilized by todays standards.

Since this was just a simple sparring exercise, they used wooden swords made from bamboo. Nothing lethal, but it will hurt in the morning if you received a direct hit.

WilyKat wore the standard protective armor. Heavy and _bulky_, but it would keep him safe... that is if the heat doesn't make him pass out. And in mid July, on a normal eighty degree day, that seemed more than likely. On the _other side,_ Lion-O wore black hakama with red designs that ran up the right leg. His _hakama _was worn and frayed, but it at least kept him cool on this hotter than hell day... which could be more than said about WilyKat.

Speaking of hotter that hell, Cheetara stood in the shade of the colonnades as she watched her secret lover train the young cat. She wore her signature brown outfit that exposed her cleavage and midriff areas, under the standard cletic robe and helmet. Just because she was having an affair, did not mean she could not look proper. She also wore the diamond dagger necklace that Lion-O brought from Madera.

She played with it and admired it, like _an_ excited school girl. It may seem cliche but that's how she felt at the moment. Cheetara was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that somebody bumped into her.

"Watch it!" she snapped. She then noticed it was WilyKat's twin sister, WilyKit.

The young kitten was a part of the twenty-first Infantry, nicknamed the _Lucky Aces_. That one regiment had seen more battle, death, and ruins than other soldiers have seen in a lifetime_._ Their nickname was earned during the Cloud Peak Mine campaign, in which they were the only regiment out of five to survive Grune's onslaught. They had proceeded to take the mines and the fortress of Cloud Peak when a freak earthquake breached its hundred foot high wall. Also, during the battle, a lost patrol from the 'Aces', lead by WilyKit, came across the fabled El-Dara beneath the fortress. Tygra was not so thrilled about that.

They had just arrived in the capital for some well earned rest and relaxation.

WilyKit sidestepped Cheetara and bowed, apologizing for her carelessness. Of the original ThunderCats, she sacrificed the most. She had suffered from a certain type of shock from what she had done and witnessed. _Posttraumatic vocal disarticulation_, the experts eventually declared. And although recertified for active duty, she remained silent - either unable, or unwilling, to speak. Now she spoke by simple jointing_, _gestures, or writing it down.

Cheetara placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right. It's my fault. I should have payed more attention."

WilyKit then noticed Cheetara's new necklace and started to lightly sniff her. She then pointed to Lion-O, then Cheetara, and then to her own heart. Usually Kit's actions were easy to understand, but this time Cheetara was completely confused.

A bit annoyed by the loss in translation, WilyKit decided to scribble the message in the dirt.

_Are you and Lion-O having an affair?_

Cheetara was slightly shocked that WilyKit picked up so quickly. But, then again, she was the most observant and had the best nose in the group. So Cheetara quickly brushed it away and wrote:

_Yes._

_How long?_

_Almost a year now._

_Why?_

_I don't know. At first it was loneliness. Then it seemed like the perfect revenge. Now..._

Cheetara stopped mid-sentence and started to drift off into space. This was a question that had plagued her thoughts through the year. She was not proud of what was doing, and the threat of becoming pregnant with his child was an _ever present_ one. _It was not supposed to get this involved... Now I don't want to go back._

WilyKit gave a long heavy sigh, and the way she held herself up made it look like she was going to regret her next action.

She handed Cheetara a letter. On it was the stamp of the White Tiger captain. Her heart skipped a beat, then started to pound faster and faster as she opened it. For someone as quick and agile as Cheetara, for once her legs felt like they were filled with lead.

She finally opened it, much to her own surprise that her legs have not given out, and started to read the letter. It was from Tygra, _as _expected, and it started like most of his letters did. How much he missed her. What the conditions in the field were like. How morale is at an all time high. And then the last part would be filled with empty sweet-nothings that have lost all meaning to her since they were coming from him. The thing that did make her freeze was the final sentence. _I'll be home in a days._

To her, that was just the final stake in her heart. To other women, this would have been great news. Their lovers coming home from a war and they could finally be together at last. Like something out a romance novel. But now... she was not the same woman any more.

In the arena, Lion-O worked WilyKat to an inch of his life. He had already sent him through parade grounds with secret stun mine traps, and obstacle courses with air soft snipers, now the poor kitten was suffering a barrage of defensive and offensive attacks, while also fighting off the heat.

WilyKat fell to one knee as Lion-O allowed him to catch his breath. It also gave Lion-O a chance to relax his leg for a little bit

"Take it easy kid," he said. "you fought well for today, so take the rest off. We'll continue..." he then noticed Cheetara's staring emptily in space.

Leaving the ring, he walked to her side giving a strong and biding order for everyone to leave.

"Is everything all right?" Lion-O asked. He did not notice the letter, not even when she hid it behind her back_._

"I'm fine, just a little hot is all." Cheetara pulled Lion-O close and whispered in his ear. "Care to join me in a swim?"

Before she could answer him, Cheetara was gone in a flash, leaving only one sandal behind as a clue for Lion-O to follow. Lion-O knew that he would never be as fast as her, but he was more than determined to find her if that meant she would be running through the palace completely naked.

He ran after her, finding different pieces of clothing along the way; all tossed away in hidden-in-plain-sight spots so that it would not draw unwanted attention. Each piece of her clothing had her scent on it. Enough to keep Lion-O in the right direction, while also keeping him interested and focused on her.

At first, it seemed that Cheetara was just teasing him. He found the second sandal. Then one of her bracelets. Then the second bracelet. Then her celtic robe. Her cat helmet. He staff. It got more interesting when he found her vest top, and her tight pants, the scent on them signifying that she was in heat…a very intense one. He then found her thin bar and equally as wet thongnot far off.

Lion-O felt his own clothes getting tight and uncomfortable. He's not sure how much teasing he could take.

He needed to have her!

Cheetara waded in knee high waters of a _pond_ that belonged to one of the palace's many gardens. The only piece of clothing she wore was the diamond crystal necklace. A gust of wind came through the garden, picking up water vapors and lightly splashing her. She couldn't complain, it actually felt pretty good, both the wind and water and the fact that she was standing bare naked in one of the gardens where anyone could walk in on her. It was all very erotic.

Ever since starting this affair with Lion-O, her love life had received a much needed booster shot.

She continued to wait for Lion-O, hoping and praying that he did not lose her scent or get pulled aside to do some meaningless political chore. Suddenly, Lion-O grabbed her and then they both sank into the water.

After re-emerging, Cheetara, soaking wet, gasped for air. "That wasn't funny!"

"You can't honestly think you didn't deserve it, Tara." Lion-O said as he started to kiss and suck on the soft flesh behind her ear. "Running around the palace half-dressed_._ Leaving your scent everywhere. What if one of the guards caught your scent?"

"And what about you?" Cheetara groaned, using her feet kick off Lion-O's hakama. "All of the palace maidens were watching you. Lusting over you..."

She let out a long, loud moan. Lion-O smiled, "Are you saying that you were jealous, dear Tara?"

"Yes..." she moaned, no hesitance or shame.

"So why did you choose this spot?"

"I'm loud," Cheetara admitted. "You know that more than anyone."

The young king chuckled as he advanced on her, this time she made no move to escape and allowed him full access to her _lithe_ body. The cheetah let out a sigh as her breasts met the cool air, her hands went to his back, digging her sharp nails on them. Her hands then ran over the rough skin of every old wound and scar. She pulled him into an embrace, feeling his powerful heart beat against her cheek, tracing fingers along the old scars on his shoulder and the burns on his back. Lion-O made no noise akin to discomfort as she examined the aftermath of the wound. If he was good at one thing - minus the obvious - it was masking discomfort and pain when he wanted to.

The sun was still high in the sky causing the water on their bodies to shimmer and they could hear _each _others heart pounding showing that they were alive.

Cheetara was the first to act by throwing herself at Lion-O, wrapping her arms around his shoulders crushing her mouth to his, the lion's responded in gripping her slender hips, holding her as close as possible as he pushed them back to shore. His erect manhood pressed between her legs, making her moan into his mouth, pressing her nails into his shoulders. She slowly worked her hips back and forth, rubbing her moistening core along his length; in turn making him quiver with desire.

Gripping her hips, Lion-O effortlessly lifted his cheetah up and then brought her back down slowly on his erection. Cheetara broke the kiss to throw her head back in ecstasy as she was slowly filled to the brim with his manhood. Lion-O's head fell back at the feeling of her tight hot flesh, clenching and gripping tight around him enticing him to ignore her need to accommodate him properly and to just take her like a savage beast.

"Lion-O" his name fell from her lips as she fully sunk down to the base. He was buried in the very depths of her, and her womb filled in by his size_. _She looked down on him with misty eyes and her lips parted, her breath already in pants, giving him every signal to give her his all.

It did not take long for him to give into his primal desires; the air was filled with Cheetara's screams of utter pleasure as she was bounced effortlessly on the king's cock. Her nails clawed into the ground, leaving deep imprints as her breasts were bouncing in tandem to her movements. Her mind was completely clouded and all she could do was feel. His shaft throbbed and pulsed inside of her as he growled and snarled.

Lion-O bared his fangs in a moment of bestial weakness, his nails becoming claws, cutting into Cheetara's skin. Deep scraping noises indicated that Cheetara was suffering the same weakness, her lips forced open by a set of razor sharp fangs and her new claws razed the ground around her.

Words had become impossible to understand and only animalistic grunts and roars left their mouths as their passion grew, two orgasms had already filled Cheetara's body. Leaving her like putty in Lion-O's hands and she eagerly accepted the fact when he moved to position her on her hands and knees. It suited them better that way. Far more natural.

Cheetara was cast completely in Lion-O's shadow as he loomed over her body, thrusting unforgivingly. Another orgasm erupted inside her, making her scream loud and long into the sky. Harder throbbing and pulsing signalled Lion-O's release and his pace became rougher and more desperate. Cheetara moved back against his thrusts encouraging his release, her growls becoming high pitched submissive whimpers fully giving herself to her pleasure.

Lion-O lasted only a few minutes before a monstrous roar erupted from his throat. Cheetara gave a high pitch scream from his burning release flooding into her. Collapsing with a heavy thud the lovers lay panting in the dirt. Their heart beats slowly settled and their blood finally cooling. Rolling over ,Cheetara placed her hand in his and laid her other over his heart to which he mimicked with hers.

Lion-O kissed the top of Cheetara's head. "Dammit, I love you."

"I know," she purred, "if only things were different..."

"If only..."

A blast from the royal fanfare snapped the two lovers out of their love-drunk stupor_._ Cheetara took it especially hard. Lion-O could feel her heart beat as fast as she could run.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Tygra is back." she whispered.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes:<em>

_What's up internet, I'm here for another chapter._

_I think I might be getting into this smut suff. Let's pray it does not catch on._

_Nothing really to say for this one, except I might have accidently, which is in no part caused by me, started a smut war with Fuuko. I'm screwed._

_Now I have to start fishing the two love birds out of the water. They decided to go for another dip... Great. Nothing worse then wet cat._

_Cheetara: Shut Up!_

_Peace out people _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"What do you mean they're swapping parts?" Tygra asked in his usual snarky manner. Even though he was addressing his king, and future emperor, he still enjoyed teasing his little brother... even if that meant doing it in his own office.

Lion-O's office was built for a king... and had the mess of one. Mahogany desk covered in useless paperwork and whatever new bill the senate wanted to pass_. _Leather chairs and sofas that were rarely used. High tech computer. Wall-to-wall book cases filled with books that had to be reorganized. An artisan-crafted marble fireplace that had very little ash at the base. Even the treasure he took from the Great Marsh found a home as a decorations or more simply as spoils.

Tygra sat on the far end of Lion-O's desk. Looking at, and admiring, the fabled Sword of Omens.

"Our newest tanks are falling apart before they even make it to the front," Lion-O said as he chewed on his thumbnail. "Joshuanoticed it last week. He traced it to a small chop-shop business here in the main city. Apparently, they are taking the high-grade parts, replacing them with cheap crap, and selling the reals to the Dominion or black market. He saved our asses on this one."

"But Lion-O, he and his other engineers are humans. They're just a bunch of brown-nosing, patronizing bastards. Have them rubbed out, and you'll look like a hero."

"Tygra. Go to the Vandike's auto plant. That's where the parts are being swapped... But, just... just have a word or two with them, okay. Nothing to get the military involved."

Tygra leaned over the desk, "You mean you're gonna let _me_ handle this?"

"Just go and have a word with them." Lion-O said as he spat the nail sliver out. He could clearly see the pent up predator nature in his eyes. And this might be enough to get him sent back to the front.

"But, brother, that means the same thing as why don't you go down there and kill everybody until your heart can take." While he said that, he twirled and slashed at enemies who were not there with the Sword of Omens. "So are you sure about that? Oh - bro - ther - !"

"I haven't said anything except to have a word with them." Lion said.

Tygra started to laugh hysterically as he ran out of the room. "I love you brother! Really."

"Crazy bastard." Lion-O mumbled.

"What was that?" Tygra popped his head back in.

"The sword _stays _here!" Lion pounded his hand on the desk. "Now get the hell out of here!"

"Fine. Fine." Tygra dropped the dormant sword on the ground, "I better see you at the party tonight! I have a huge surprise for yah!"

Lion-O let out a long deep sigh after his brother left. Hard to believe there was actually a time when they spoke on the same level, and that he used to ask Tygra for advice. Not just the simple older-brother-younger-brother talk like how to stand while fighting or impress girls, but rather sage-like advice. Lion-O used to admire and look up to Tygra, but now...

"Ow!" he snapped as he felt asharp scraping sensation on his groin. He looked down and said, "Tara, do you think you could be a little more gentle?"

Cheetara pulled herself off and gently licked the tip.

"Sorry,_ my _king," Cheetara looked up at him with fire in her eyes and a sexy smile. "But you were just so hot bossing Tygra around, I couldn't help it."

She got up from under his desk. She wore a bright red kimono, like the color of firework sparks. She allowed her robe to hang loosely, showing a glimpse of her ample bosom. Cheetara wiped her mouth and sat next to Lion-O, exposing one beautiful leg. She knew his weakness.

"You just love tempting me, don't you." Lion-O pulled her close and started to kiss her neck. She moaned and purred as Lion-O moved from the soft, sensitive area around her neck to her collar bone. He slipped a hand under her robe and started to grope her ample breasts, kneading them. Pinching the nipples. Anything to make her cry and beg _f_or more.

She did something surprising this time. Cheetara actually stopped it before i_t _got too heated.

"What was that for?" Lion-O asked.

"We have to put this on halt... just for a little while." she said. "Just wait until Tygra gets sent back to the front."

"Oh, but_ that's _too long." he whined. Cheetara smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll see you tonight at the ball," She said as she fixed her kimono and hair. "Wear something nice."

She left Lion-O's office with a slight bounce in her breast and pop in her hips. Lion-O sat back in his chair, and put his manhood back in his pants.

"Nikolia." he said.

"What's up, boss?" A being appeared on the sill that opened. He was a part of a rare breed on Third Earth. A human. It was said that they were wiped out when the Thunderians first arrived. Only twenty-thousand now remain, all of whom are faithful subjects to the Empire.

The boy named Nikolia was young, barely out of his teenage years. He possessed no fur or claws or sharp teeth; the human weakness, some say. But what he did have was a certain set of skills that most human caught on to quite quickly. He, like most of his family and ancestors, is an assassin.

He wore a the lightly armored outfit of his people. A sturdy outfit made of leather and lightweight metal, built for assassins who need to move swiftly and silently. With this, Nikolia makes no noise, no matter his speed nor bearings.

Lion-O liked him. Not just because he was good at what he did, his entire family was, or that Lion-O was also his godfather, but it was that Nikolia had an act at being invisible, observant, and silent when it came to the mission.

"How long were you there?" Lion-O asked.

"How long was Cheetara sucking you off? Two hours. Maybe three. Plus that little conversation with your brother-"

"Okay, I get it. You were there for a while." Lion-O said.

"So, what will you have me do, my lord?" he bowed before Lion-O. Amazingly keeping his balance on the sill.

"As you know, Tygra is back in the capital. And, he will be returning to the front tomorrow. I want you to follow him. Report on his every movement and action, and most importantly, keep him safe."

"I can do that."

"One more thing," Lion-O sighed and then looked at Nikolia with a predator-like fire. "If he ever hurts Cheetara in any way, shape, or form. I want him taken out and made to look like a complete accident. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Good," Lion-O relaxed in his seat. "He heading to Vandike's autoplant, just north of the lower reaches. Do what you can to make it seem like an act of valor."

"Yes, my lord." And with that, Nikolia jumped off the sill.

That evening there was to take place a feast for the ages, celebrating another one of Tygra's many impressive feats, and the upcoming one happening the next day. Which one, Lion-O was not precisely sure. His brother had been so busy lately acting hero that his 'triumphs' began to run together. He was just going to go with the latter and say that it was the newest one.

Whether it involved the giantors or the Mumm-ra's demons from Hell, it made no difference to him. It was just another excuse to parade the warrior prince around and let him gloat. It was also a painful reminder for Lion-O...as if, he thought, it was ever unclear who the favorite son was.

The great hall was decked out like never before. The dome had been polarized to provide an optimum view of the clear night sky, while also keeping the art that decorated the dome clear and visible.

A massive chandelier, eight meters wide, hung in midair atop the dome, supported by state-of-the-art antigravity units guaranteed not to fail... The _guarantee _was that the royal family would drive the manufacturer to complete ruin if it did.

Food from all across the Empire was laid out, as expected, but they actually managed to get their hand on Ari buffalo meat and a limited supply of Sicilian pepper slices. The price for the latter two items was higher the aggregate salaries of any middle-class, or commoners by the higher classes, but it was worth it.

All the import people were there - at least three representatives from each province in the Empire, and a few from the neutral provinces. The men looking more ready for battle rather than a social gathering, with their polished armor and smoothed capes. To Lion-O, they all looked a bit ridiculous. Like metal, hairy peacocks. No _offense _to their peafowl subjects.

The women, on the other hand, were dressed in fine fabrics that created flowing dresses and other silly adornments they found favorable. All of the women looked just as pretentious and over-dressed, he thought. Except one.

There, among the crowd of flashy party-goers, was Cheetara.

For the occasion she decided that her usual cleric's attire was unfit, as he found her wearing a copper gown in place of her uniform. It was draped off over one shoulder as if the silk had begun to melt.

The dress was relatively simple, accented by hints of clear-blue that matched her jewelry. The simplicity of the gown allowed the cheetah's features to shine instead. They were always gorgeous, regardless of whether she was covered with robes or completely naked . The sight of his cleric, beaming with laughter while a young, brash, naive, acquaintance attempted to amuse her with some tale about his heroism on the field, delighted Lion-O.

He began to weave his way through the throng of glowing Thunderians, toward Cheetara, when suddenly, like a shark slicing through a school of silver fish, Tygra appeared at her side. The mere sight of his brother caused a twinge of disgust to erupt inside of him. But he swallowed his feeling, put a good-natured smile on his face and approached the pair of them. Lion-O was determined not to let his personal sentiments get the better of him. Not tonight, at least. Not in front of his father.

Just as he reached the two, he saw Tygra say something to Cheetara, but he couldn't hear what. She smiled politely and her glance flickered away from her future husband long enough to spot Lion-O's parting the crowd.

Cheetara's accommodating grin blossomed into a very genuine smile, her rounded cheeks flushing a delicious pink, and her fur stood on end. It was then, seeing Cheetara's attention diverted so drastically, that Tygra finally noticed his brother, who was now standing almost directly in front of him. As if he completely forgot the slaughter he commited that day, he clapped Lion-O on the shoulder with a heavy, cheerful hand, and laughed.

"Brother! I'm glad you could make it. I was worried you'd find yourself preoccupied with work again," Tygra said, a hearty roar just above the ambient white noise of the festivities around them.

It was true, Lion-O had conveniently found himself preoccupied with work during many of Tygra's celebrations. Nothing personal, he was just very busy.

Why he had made a point to show up tonight, he wasn't really sure. Although jealousy reared its ugly head on many occasions, and they quarreled like rivals, they were still kin. Lion-O reminded himself of that as he felt Tygra's heavy paw slide off his shoulder.

He smiled amiably and said, "I wouldn't dare miss it, brother, but I do have my reasons for being here."

He gave a quick wink to Cheetara, to say that it was for her, but he turned back to Tygra. "Father is making me do this. He feels like I should know my future subjects. Honestly, I find these events insufferable. I already know most of the families don't like me. I don't need to know this in my own home."

Tygra gave a neutral nod, and said no more, instead turning his attention to the cleric between them then looking briefly back at Lion-O.

"I was just telling Cheetara how lovely she looks tonight. Wouldn't you agree?" Tygra asked. Lion-O's eyes met Cheetara's for a moment as he finally got a better look at her.

"'Lovely' would not begin to accurately describe her. I fear you might stir some jealousy in the crowd tonight, and they would have every right to be envious. No matter how hard they try, you will always outshine them," As he spoke, at first to Tygra, then directly to Cheetara. Speaking to her as if they were alone. He took her hand in his and raised them to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss to the back of her hand after he concluded his thought. He watched fondly as her cheeks grew rubescent and she tried to hide a bashful smile. He realized he had never really said anything like it before. He tried to make himself remember to do it more often.

"Well said!" Tygra roared, "It would be difficult to argue that anyone here looked more beautifully tonight. Perhaps I should return home more often, just as an excuse to see you looking stunning in an evening dress!" He laughed again, completely unaware of the words that were coming out of his mouth.

Lion-O chuckled mirthlessly. He couldn't discern whether his brother's suggestion was a poor attempt at humor, or a horribly misguided attempt at wooing Cheetara. Or perhaps a bit of both.

"And the both of you are looking quite well yourselves," Cheetara said at last, admiring the brothers in their respective decorations. Although the vibrant rainbow or ribbons and multitude of medals that adorned Tygra's armor were striking, Cheetara was drawn to the way Lion-O wore the standard dark grey outfit had a certain swagger and class to him.

"Though I'm hardly a stand-out in thiscrowd," she added, glancing around at the other guests, adorned in shining metal and rich fabrics.

There was a moment of silence, the dull roar enveloping the trio. Of course it was Tygra who volunteered to shatter it.

"You should join me on the front sometime, my dear. It seems like ages since you've last put your skills to use. You don't want to lose your touch, do you?" Another ill-fated attempt at humor, Lion-O thought. Cheetara's responded good-naturedly, regaling the two with a tale of warfare long past, when she came to the princes' rescue more than once. Although it was a harmless, friendly story, it still pleased Lion-O to hear Tygra put in his place.

As Cheetara carried on, Lion-O watched with growing interest as Tygra's gaze began to shed its innocent façade and don a more lecherous manifestation. The hulking tiger's eyes roamed aimlessly until now, as they rested on Cheetara's glowing complexion, undoubtedly transfixed by her disarming smile. But they didn't stay there long. Slowly, his gaze crept down her elegant neck, followed the modest plunge of her dress, ghosted over her hips, and seemed to drift off somewhere along her thighs, hugged intimately by the clinging silk.

Cheetara had not seemed to notice the older prince staring at her so intently, as she kept speaking, uninterrupted. And Tygra…well, clearly, he wasn't listening anymore.

A faint smile, a subtle, insinuating, nearly sinister grin, touched the corners of his lips as his eyes began to retrace their path along Cheetara's body, taking time to lavish every part of her. It was in that moment that Lion-O felt his blood begin to boil like a furnace inside of him. He knew what Tygra was thinking. And it caused that furnace to burn out with white hot, seething fury. Nothing less.

Cheetara finally came to the conclusion of her tale, and Tygra, realizing she had stopped talking, was quick to offer a hearty laugh so she would think he had been paying attention. But Lion-O saw the look in her eyes that suggested quite clearly that she knew he hadn't listened to a word she said. Tygra was not exactly subtle about mentally undressing her.

Just then, someone called out across the room to Tygra, who shouted back and gestured to the voice.

"I'm afraid I must excuse myself. I'm sure you can imagine there are others dying to have a word with the hero of Thundera! Brother," he turned and clasped Lion-O's arm, "it was good to see you. And Cheetara," he stole one last unabashed glance, "If you ever need a training partner…I don't mind getting a little rough."

With a casanova grin and a less-than-subtle wink, he took her hand, and just as Lion-O had done, touched his lips to her smooth fur. Then, just as quickly as he had arrived in their presence, he left, disappearing into the crowd like an apparition.

Once he had surely dissolved into the throng of glowing Thunderians, they both seemed to heave a sigh…a long-held breath. But even after Tygra had gone, Lion-O could still feel the heat of his temper surge to every point in his body. His last comment to Cheetara tipped him over the edge, and if he didn't do something to quell the raging storm inside of him, he could no longer be held accountable for whatever terrible deed he was about to commit.

He had to get out of there. In a quiet fury, he closed his hand around Cheetara's wrist and motioned for her to follow him, which she did so willingly. He led them through the crowd and out of the great hall.

He then noticed Nikolia hiding in the shadows. He was wearing a different set of armor this time. Keeping him in the shadows, but still had the appearance of class if he was ever seen. The metal portions of the armor appeared to have a gold tint, while the leather portions were black or dark brown. The chest plate of his appeared to be made up of several overlapping metal guards. A black cloak accompanied his suit, and was made up of three layers. Each layer was longer than the one above it, and the longest, lower layer was segmented, giving the whole piece a look resembling an eagle's wings.

Nikolia gave Lion-O a small nod, as heheavedthe doors closed behind them, subduing the raucous noise to a faint roars. It also gave Lion-O some extrainsurance that no matter how much sound they would make, they would never get caught.

He pulled her into an off-shoot corridor just beside the doors to the hall and let go of her at last.

He exhaled noisily, angrily, running his hands over his face in an attempt to calm himself down. It wasn't doing much. Cheetara watched him silently in the dark, not sure of what to say.

"Lion-O…" she murmured, not moving away from the wall. He pulled his hands away from his face, and she saw the rage burning in his pale blue eyes. He shook his head and looked a bit like a bull ready to lunge.

"Is he completely oblivious, or is he _actively _trying to piss me off?" He hissed, "Did you see the way he looked at you? There was no way you couldn't have. The bastard has the balls to fuck you with his eyes right in front of me, and he doesn't even have the decency to be subtle about it!"

He spat the words out like poison and laughed bitterly. A lull of quiet darkness hung for a second, then, as if struck by some sudden thought, he looked up at Cheetara, who was still motionless in stunned silence.

"I could tell it made you uncomfortable. The way he looked at you. The things he said about you."

He began to move closer to her, bridging the gap between them in the dark corridor, stopping just in front of her, nearly pinning her to the wall behind them.

"You would never let him touch you the way that I do…would you?"

Although it was a question, it verged on a command. He lifted a hand to stroke the side of her face, feeling her flushed cheek with the back of his hand.

"If I had my way, I wouldn't even let him think about it. I would bite him off if he tried." Cheetara replied quietly. She felt that the hungry lion had her trapped in a cage, and it was debating whether or not she was going to be his next meal.

Her answer pleased him, but he wanted more. As his hand caressed her neck, flowed to her collarbone, he could nearly feel her racing heartbeat and asked:

"And why is that?" he whispered.

Cheetara didn't speak right away. She knew he was looking for something specific. He wanted to hear her say just the right thing. And at last she figured out what it was.

"Because I belong to you," she said, barely above a whisper.

Lion-O bared his remarkably fang-like canines in a victorious, self-satisfied smirk. Cheetara felt him run a hand along her back, from her waist up toward her shoulder and down again, holding her quite firmly against him. His left hand came up to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, and she shivered. His touch did otherworldly things to her.

"I wonder," he began quietly, his eyes flickering over her face, down to the draping neckline of her gown, "if you say that because you truly believe it, or only because you know it's what I want to hear?"

Cheetara felt her chest seize up, and the ability to speak fled her. She hadn't thought of that before. She did whatever she thought would please her mischievous lover, and never paused to consider if she was doing it only for his benefit. In the fraction of a second before she spoke, she watched his face in the dark, his sharp, pale features bathed in a lowly golden light, his gaze penetrating her in ways she had never known.

"I know it to be an undeniable fact," she said firmly, "whether you or I like it or not. You've made your mark on me, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

As if instinctually, her hands went to his clothing, absentmindedly brushing the soft cotton that draped his lean body. She desperately wanted him to be closer.

Had her answer suited him? …What would happen if it didn't?

"Do you doubt my devotion to you?" she asked, sounding rather wounded, and lifted her eyes to look straight into him. His harsh gaze softened, as though he was finally certain of her love for him. But even Cheetara's unwavering loyalty couldn't cushion the blow Tygra had dealt him that evening.

"Don't think of what I said…I wouldn't doubt you for a second," he replied, his tone considerably more gentle than it had been a minute ago, "but the actions of my brother, I will never be sure of."

Cheetara felt his grip on her tighten protectively, the hand on her hip pressing deeply into her soft curves.

"Then you have little to worry about. Tygra's boorish attempts at flattery are embarrassing. Most of the time when he talks, I don't even listen," she added, hoping to make Lion-O smile.

It worked. He laughed a little under his breath, and studied her for a moment.

He murmured, "As long as you're mine…"—a hint of possessive aggression dripping in his whisper—and leaned forward, tilting his head down to kiss her.

She rose up to meet him, her soft lips surprisingly receptive to his advances, and it only pushed him further. He wanted there to be no doubt in his mind that Cheetara was his and his alone.

He felt her hands slide up his chest as he leaned into her. As she surrendered to his kiss, he lifted his hands above her, pressing his forearms against the wall behind them, so he towered over her.

The way he repositioned himself had Cheetara pinned to the wall, between a cold stone partition and his dizzying warmth that entrapped her. Her cherubic lips parted and granted him access to that delicious taste she kept hidden. Like some exotic tea. He tasted it on his tongue and in that moment, he knew that all he wanted to do was claim her again, then and there, a room bursting with distinguished guests—and Tygra—just a few feet away.

He pressed harder into her, driven by dark intent.

His hips connected with her pelvis, and Cheetara automatically went to drape one of her legs around his in a shameless attempt to draw him closer. It wasn't until now, as the pesky fabric clung to her thighs, that they both realized her dress was getting in the way of more important matters.

Lion-O pulled back from the kiss to properly assess the situation. He glanced down at her legs then looked up at Cheetara and grinned wickedly. The tips of his fingers touched the sensitive parts just behind her left knee. A little gasp escaped her lips as she felt his hand rise, pushing the soft fabric of her gown up along her thigh and teasing her silken fur along the way.

As his touch reached her hip, she was certain the enthusiastic pounding in her chest would be audible. But in that little bit of silence, the only thing they heard was the rumble of idle chatter threatening to erupt from the doors beside them. It suddenly reminded Cheetara that they weren't exactly somewhere private enough for what they were dying to do.

"Lion-O," she moaned, "is this really the best place to…? What if someone sees us?" She didn't quite know how to phrase it. The last time they found themselves together in a darkened corridor, they were far from any other people. Now they were dangerously close. He flashed her a dark, impish smirk.

"What if they do? What would they think, seeing the Lightning Fast Cleric being ravaged by the Future Emperor?" He leaned forward again and pressed his lips to her ear, the warmth of his breath causing her to stifle a lightheaded whimper. "Maybe they wouldn't see us at all. Maybe they would only hear you screaming my name…"

Simultaneously, he gave her thigh a sharp tug upward, so his hips ground more intimately against her, his lips came down on her and she felt the sharpness of his teeth graze her there. His actions elicited a surprised cry that melted into a soaking moan, and it pleased him. He smiled against her neck then whispered into her ear:

"What if Tygrasaw us, love? What would you do?"

Cheetara came out of her daze long to enough to say the first thing that came to mind.

"I would only hope that he watches while I beg you not to stop…"

He groaned with satisfaction, a deep rumble in his throat. His manhood throbbed achingly, confined by the snug cotton of his hakama, and reminded him that if he didn't pick up the pace, things would soon be painful.

"Oh, but wouldn't it be cruel to tease the _Hero of Thundera _like that?" he crooned mockingly. Cheetara gave a dry laugh.

Lion-O pulled away from her, his hand sliding along her smooth thigh once more as he allowed her leg to touch the floor at last. He took a step back, just to look at her. He was quiet as his eyes made a point to visit every inch of her, and a promising grin graced his lips.

Cheetara blushed a little under his scrutiny, but considering he had seen her wearing less, _far _less, she felt there was little reason to feel shy.

At last, it seemed Lion-O had made up his mind.

"Turn around," he asked simply. Cheetara hesitated, stared at him in curiosity.

"Why?"

Lion-O stepped forward again, and pressed a brief, reassuring kiss to her glistening lips, his hands coming up to touch her face.

"Be a good girl and face the wall, won't you?" he murmured against her mouth, "I promise…you'll like it." He added rather deviously.

Cheetara couldn't will herself to resist his charm a second longer. He gave her some space again, and she turned, crossing her forearms against the solid mass and rested her head on them, turning her face to watch Lion-O from the corner of her vision. He disappeared behind her, and she heard the soft rustle of heavy fabric. Sounds that made her soaking with blind anticipation.

Lion-O returned to her, his hands exploring her body for a moment, pulling her hips away from the wall a bit so his pelvis connected nicely with her shapely rear. Cheetara whimpered a little as the contact was considerably restricted by a thin layer of silk that still remained.

Lion-O chuckled in the dark and went about solving this crisis. He pulled the slippery fabric up from her knee towards her waist, his hands on either thigh performing their handiwork. Once the troublesome dress was out of the way, just enough that he could sneak underneath it and it wouldn't hinder his performance, he realized she hadn't been wearing anything beneath the gown. His fingers sought out warm soft flesh, expecting another obstacle to be removed, and he found himself a little surprised when they found their prize with very little effort.

"The silk felt so nice," Cheetara hummed, her head tipped over her shoulder, as though she knew was he was thinking, "I thought any undergarments would be…bothersome."

She smiled, looking like a minx, and Lion-O ached. He moved to free himself further, wanting nothing to be between them where it mattered most. A little gasp forced itself from Cheetara's throat when she felt him at last, the warm, solid length of him sliding effortlessly between her thighs, under her welcoming, pliable bottom. She heard him groan in her ear.

Lion-O placed his left hand on her thigh, grasping it just so and pulling it back around his hip, just enough to give him the leverage he needed so they were both comfortably situated. And more importantly to Lion-O, he had better access…

He pressed forward, their bodies meshed together perfectly, and with just the right tilt of his hips, he entered her from behind. Caught off guard, Cheetara couldn't stifle the moan that poured from her lips. Her whole body tightened for a moment, trying desperately to adjust as Lion-O's impressive girth filled her from the new angle.

As he drew out of her, slow and torturously, he brushed the _mass _of her wavy hair over her shoulder with his free hand, lowered his head and pressed his lips to the top of her spine. His name fell from her lips in a strangled moan and it threatened to undo him much faster than he anticipated. As he thrust back into her, long and deep, he continued to tease her with kisses, moving over her right shoulder toward her neck.

"Say it, Cheetara…tell me you're mine," his rough whisper caressed her ear. Before she could answer, she felt his right hand slip under her gown, over the front of her leg to that dripping apex between her thighs. Just as she opened her lips to speak, his long graceful fingers dove into her with expert precision, and she cried out.

She managed to choke out, "I'm only yours, Lion-O…only yours-!" before she completely lost the ability to form coherent sentences.

His fingers teased her aimlessly for a moment, before he found what he was looking for at last. His hips pressed into her firmly as she felt his thumb brush her hypersensitive clit. It sent a shock through her system, and caused her muscles to tighten around his buried shaft, eliciting a growl from her prince.

As he felt his release become increasingly imminent, his actions picked up their pace. However, his thrusts were still agonizingly slow, making sure he found his purchase within her as deep as physically possible. Cheetara bit back another whimper as Lion-O's fingers continued their assault on her delicate flesh, pinching and stroking until she was certain she would be entirely consumed by pleasure and she would black out completely.

Lion-O released her thigh and lifted his hand to the nape of her neck, knotting his fingers tightly her hair and tugging her head back, forcefully yet not intending to cause her pain. He tilted his head to the side and leaned down to capture her lips in a lust-fueled frenzy.

He continued the relentless rhythm, sheathing himself within her, until his need for breath caused him to draw back from her at last, releasing her plump lips. He was very nearly finished, and judging by the trembling he could feel inside of her, Cheetara was, too.

"Cum for me," he growled in her ear, the heat trapped between them driving him insane. He gave her clit a persuasive flick and she was done for. She moaned his name shamelessly, as if begging for permission, and her entire body shuddered like a dam ready to break. Lion-O bit down, where her shoulder met her pale neck, and she came hard, pulling him with her.

Lion-O felt darkness explode behind his eyes, and sensations began to run together. He heard his cleric cry out his name and the king's breath hitched in his elegant throat. He fought to keep composure as he spilled himself inside of her fluttering warmth, his fingers digging into whatever soft flesh they could find. A nearly primal, animalistic roar ripped itself from his chest and they collapsed into an intertwined heap on the ground.

The heavy silence was replaced by their laboring breathing, and the faint rumbling from the great hall behind them. When at last they caught their breath, Lion-O pulled Cheetara into his arms on the floor and pressed a series of affectionate kisses to her sweat-dampened forehead. The darkness draped itself around them comfortingly, and they were in no hurry to come out from underneath it.

At last, Lion-O murmured, his face buried in the soft waves of her hair, "As long as you're mine…"

Back in the great hall, a series of fanfares blared and Emperor Claudius appeared before his subjects. He stood atop a marble and onyx podium with his own cleric bodyguards stood behind him.

Even though the aging emperor rarely showed up for these social get togethers nowadays, no thanks to his health, he still had the roar and feeling of a king. Everyone, even down to the youngest of children, fell silent as the Emperor began to speak.

"Highest members of Thunderian society and everyone of the Senate, it is an honor to have you in my most humble establishment this evening." Claudus put weight in each word, and even though it was just his welcoming speech, he knew that the crowd hung on every word. "With the largest military force ever called upon in history of the Empire we are arriving at the turning-point of the war tomorrow. Each province and every family shares the same enthusiasm and vigor for this event."

Tygra looked around the crowd, trying to find Lion-O or Cheetara. He then noticed Lion-O and pushed his way to his brother's side. His all around appearance looked disheveled and messy for a future Emperor.

"What happened to you? You look terrible." Tygra said, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.

"Ran into this fine feline who wouldn't stop rubbing on me."

"Oh, so you finely found someone interesting. Do I know her?"

"You might."

"Well if you see her again, be sure to introduce me to her. I think it will be proper for her to meet the better brother."

"I will never understand your thirst for women, brother."

"You'll find out after father's speech." he gave is classic snarky smile.

"But this is our lastceremonybefore we send the troops to battle, so let's not discuss anything so inelegant this evening." Claudius lift a goblet filled with wine. "A toast, to victory!"

"Come on," Tygra pulled Lion-O through the mob of cheering aristocrats.

He followed his older brother around a maze of hallways. Lion-O looked out of the corners of his eyes, seeing shadows within shadows. Nikolia was not far behind.

Tygra finally stopped at one of the smaller ballrooms, one made for family gatherings then any social event. It was purposely set up to look like a midnight scenariomixed with some kind of dream setting.

A woman, a Puma, stood in the center of the room's domed space, wearing a beautiful pink dress that had a ruffled neck, the white ruffles opening like a flower beneath her chin, a formatting top that showed off her ample bust, and a huge hoopskirt that extended outward half a meter in all directions and came to the floor. She had very little paint on her face, simply enough to highlight her dark yellow eyes. Her brown and white hair had been curled for the occasion and piled atop her head elegantly.

Lion-O then noticed that there were chains that ran up from the floor and connected to cuffs around her wrists. And from the glazed look in her eyes, it seemed like this poor girl was just swimming in drugs.

"Tygra," Lion said, trying his best not to lash out at him. "Who is this?"

"This, dear brother, is your own personal concubine." he said, leaving out any detail on where she came from, how she got her or where Tygra found her. "I figure you need a... stress reliever now and again, and she seemed perfect. Be careful though, we had to drug her up a lot in order to make her presentable, so she'll more than likely be extremely _feisty_ when she eventually snaps out of it. Have fun."

Lion-O just stood there with his jaw slightly ajar. All he thought was,_ "I'm screwed." _

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes:<em>

_Hello everybody, I'm back for the time being._

_Sorry about the little lag in chapter. For some reason I couldn't open the Doc Manager without re-logging in for some reason. It lasted for only a couple of days, but it was a pain in the but._

_Nikolia: Well it was that, and haveing nonsensical arguments with Fuuko over this so called smut war._

_Enough, Nikolia. Just do your job._

_Nikolia: Do you want me to take her out. (Pulls out a hidden blade from his sleeve)_

_That won't be necessary._

_Later_


	6. Chapter 6

It had been several months since the royal ball. Since that, many events have transpired. Cheetara has finally broken all ties with Tygra. She is no longer engaged to him. Within the corse of a few weeks, Lion-O and Cheetara were married. Nothing huge, they would save that for when Lion-O became the Emperor. They had a rather small ceremony. Just Lion-O, Cheetara, and Nikolia who served as the clergy. WilyKit and WilyKat served as the bestman and maid of honor. And Panthro had to be there for a witness and to make sure Tygra woud not get wind of this until much, _much _latter.

It all seems perfect, right? Wrong. There was still the matter of Lion-O's slave.

The slave that Lion-O "acquired" was named Pumyra; or at least that was the best translation he could get. Lion-O, being a person who looks down on this backward idea, decided to give Pumyra's contract to Nikolia's family. Raise her to serve the royal family, and hold some form of independence. It also gave him and Cheetara a chance to go out on her honeymoon without any tag-a-longs.

Pumyra came from the Warrior Maidens, a tribe of amazon-like women who live in the Treetop Kingdom, which explained why she was so quick to warm up to Cheetara. Because of this, she has exceptional marksmanship with a sling, able to load, aim, and then fire with same the rate of a machine gun.

Pumyra also had a skill for medicine made from non-conventional forms. Mostly from herbs and marrow from animal bones. From the stories about her village, she told

In some form, Pumyra found a place within Thunderian society.

Cheetara, on the other hand, had - other plans for her...

* * *

><p>Pumyra was certain the only thing she could feel was the braided rope biting into her wrists, rough fibers that irritated the sensitive skin as she fought them pathetically. She knew there wasn't any use in trying to escape her bondage, but that twisted part of her knew Cheetara wanted to see her try.<p>

The cheetah sat beside her, apparently taking a moment to appreciate her handiwork. The way she chose to bind her hands just above her head made for the loveliest view. But the way she looked at the puma, now completely uncovered, made Pumyra feel unusually nervous.

Cheetara's gaze had been wandering lazily up the curves of her body, and when her eyes met Pumyra's, a devilish smirk curled her lips. She was sure she saw Cheetara's eyes grow dark. Involuntarily, a whimper of helplessness forced itself from her barely parted lips. Cheetara fed on it and laughed as she came up on her knees and crawled toward the foot of the bed.

Forcing her knees apart, she made herself comfortable between her strong legs. Cheetara gave a quiet sigh and lifted her head just barely, her eyes flickering up to watch Pumyra's face. The darkest part of her was pleased to see a look of vague distress plague the puma's lovely features.

Yet the empress did not speak.

That silence might have been what terrified her the most.

Cheetara could not help but tease her with another worrisome grin as she came forward, her hands sliding up the insides of her soft thighs to keep them securely parted. As she did so, Pumyra instinctively fought her, and the cheetah's grip on her only tightened in response, creating another dismal whimper. It merely urged her on.

Cheetara's feline gaze never left the puma's as she lowered her head to the inside of her right thigh, just above her knee. Placing a single, unassuming kiss there. Pumyra felt a shiver bolt across her nerves, and suddenly she felt as though she wasn't getting nearly enough air. Even though she fought to keep her reaction as contained as possible, Cheetara noticed it. The action itself was harmless, but what it suggested was tormenting.

Still looking up at her captive slave, she tilted her head and pressed her lips just a bit higher& and then higher still, until Cheetara's mouth left a cold trail on her warm flesh. Just when her lips touched the very inside of Pumyra's thigh, mere inches from the most delicate, delicious parts of her, she stopped and let her eyes fall away from hers at last. Pumyra, feeling as though she was no longer under the cheetah's intense scrutiny, felt her body relax a bit. She closed her eyes for a moment, anticipating her next move, but when there was none, she opened them again to watch Cheetara with concerned interest.

Cheetara paused and weighed her options. Then a thought occurred to her that caused a grin of malicious glee. She made up her mind and began to move forward again, until her mouth touched the very top of Pumyra's soft lips, where her intimate flesh just began to part.

This time, Pumyra could not keep her reaction from erupting rather unceremoniously from her. A surprised cry erupted from her lips and her hips came up instinctively to press against the warmth of her mouth. Feeling her already writhing beneath her, Cheetara purred contentedly and her gaze flickered up to Pumyra's face again. Her cheeks were flushed a deep shade of crimson, though Cheetara could not be certain if it was from embarrassment or pure lust.

_"Maybe a bit of both,"_ she thought.

But things still didn't feel right to the puma. At best, she felt extraordinarily conflicted, and slightly terrified, still.

What was she planning this time?

She slammed her eyes shut, shook her head frantically and moaned: "Mistress..."

That proved to be the cause of her own demise. Cheetara loved when Pumyra would break and give in.

Cheetara smirked and brought one hand up to that apex between her thighs. Using her long fingers to manipulate the puma's sensitive flesh. Parting her folds just barely, she lowered her head and captured Pumyra's swollen clit between her lips.

There was little Pumyra could do to stop the sound that dripped shamelessly from her mouth. It was somewhere between a silent moan and a startled cry. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt her whole body go rigid for a moment. Cheetara nearly pulled back and laughed, feeling particularly satisfied with the noise she extracted from her defenseless slave.

How she loved to have the puma entirely at her mercy&

She was nearly helpless in trying to stop her body from responding to the empress's lewd actions, as her hips came up again in a sudden jerk, which didn't help her position at all. As Cheetara dragged her tongue across that bundle of nerves, a desperate whimper fell from Pumyra's lips and she tugged at her restraints again. At this moment, she didn't know what else to do.

Catching her clit gently between her teeth, Cheetara lashed at it again, her pace quickening. Every once in a while, she released that bit of flesh to slide her tongue rough, wet, and warm along the rest of her now soaking cunt, dipping down to tease her entrance for a moment. And now things were growing unbearable for the captived cat.

She moaned the empress's name again like a plea and continued to squirm in her grip. As she felt her release approaching, she didn't know how to react. She knew from past training, Cheetara enjoyed being in total command of every last detail... including telling her when she gets to come.

Another wave of terror welled up inside of her as she wondered if she would be able to control it and what would happen if she wasn't.

It didn't take much for Cheetara to notice Pumyra was fighting desperately to keep her climax at bay. She hummed a cheerful tune and lifted her head to glance up at Pumyra.

"You're a good girl, aren't you, Pumyra? Even now, you know you're not allowed to come until I tell you. My training has really paid off... Perfect."

Before she could even begin to think of a clever retort, the cheetah lowered her head again and unleashed another assault on the puma's throbbing clit, swirling the tip of her tongue around it in a tortuous pattern. And as if that wasn't enough, she moved her hand to slide a pair of long fingers deep into Pumyra. Although she was tight, her exploits had her dripping, so there was little friction to stop Cheetara from fully exploring her as she saw fit.

The puma knew she was in trouble. Her back arched up off the bed and she felt the rope burn her skin again. She tried pleading to her mistress again, but she wasn't sure the sounds she was making were even coherent words anymore.

She threw her head back against the pillows in attempt to stop thrashing about so much, and giving Cheetara the satisfaction of knowing the kind of power she had over her.

Cheetara trailed her lips over Pumyra's damp flesh as her fingers curled up inside of the puma, feeling for that sweet spot. And she found it.

Pumyra choked on a cry that bordered on something of a scream, and she was almost done in entirely. If Cheetara didn't stop that instant, she knew she would be doomed. And her mistress knew it too. Cheetara thrusted her fingers just a bit deeper, striking that spot again, and Pumyra felt that finally dam break.

She gasped, "Mistress, please-!"

But it was too late. Cheetara felt her tighten around her, and she knew what that meant. With a growl, she pulled her fingers from Pumyra rather viciously and turned her head. Without another wasted second, Cheetara opened her mouth and sank her sharp teeth into the soft, sensitive flesh found on the inside of her thigh. Her canines bit down particularly hard and pierced her skin.

Pumyra cried out, entirely unprepared for what she had done. She'd just barely reached that ultimate peak when she felt that sharp jab of pain pull her back to total consciousness excruciatingly roughly. Her body couldn't tell whether to focus on the pleasure or the agony.

Finally, Cheetara tore her teeth from the puma's yielding flesh and dragged her tongue over the fresh wound, lapping up the blood that was now trickling down her thigh. Pumyra felt some kind of relief wash over her when she felt her fangs release her at last and she gasped for breath.

Cheetara pulled herself upright and lifted a hand to her thigh, running her thumb along the gash that marred her chocolate silk fur and gathered a bit of blood. She crawled forward and straddled Pumyra's hips, leaning over her and bringing her hand to the puma's mouth. She let that dark red drip onto her parted lips before pressing it more forcibly into her mouth. Pumyra gave a defeated whimper and accepted it, sliding her tongue against the pad of her mistress's thumb.

She tasted herself on her mistress. Salty and bitter.

Cheetara gave a low, smug laugh. She crawled off of Pumyra, and pulled out a riding crop from her secret arsenal. "We're not done yet, dear Pumyra& "

"You're right, my mistress," Pumyra slipped out of her restraints with relative ease.

She put some white medicinal powder on her gash. It stung at first, but it caused the pain to go numb and the wound to seal up. She came up from behind Cheetara and disarmed her of the crop. "You deserve a turn."

* * *

><p>A human leaned against the wall, looking across the street at the Sleeping Sheep's bar as the neon lights flickered to life as dusk enveloped the landscape. He propped a foot up against the wall, his hands jammed in his pockets. Next to the bar, he spotted a familiar battle-hardened tiger and a group of his most loyal comrades just outside.<p>

The human was an average sized, skeletal young man with lightly tanned skin that was covered in light coats of dirt, sweat and grease. The same went for his dirty, moss green hair, which he slicked back and cropped.

He wore a well-used Beller's industries boiler-suit. In this province, that was the best and highest paying line of work.

"Probably spending a few days staying with his friend's until he thinks Cheetara has calmed down," he thought to himself. Standing straight, the human crossed the road and walked into the bar.

The acrid smell of men who believe bathing to be an outdated tradition filled the air. A quick glance revealed a tired-looking bartender, attending more soldiers then he had arms. No one noticed him walking into the bar. Humans were not the White Tigers favorite species.

The human sat himself at the far end of the bar. The only empty seat in the whole place.

"Whaddya have, stranger?" The bartender asked. The old wolf's voice made the human's voice crawl. Like listening to a person who ate nothing but sand for the last eighteen years.

"Lizard ale," the human said.

"I'll have whatever their having."

The wolf looked at the heavy crowd of White Tigers, and then back at the human. "They already bought the whole lot of that beer."

"What else you got?"

"Well, we do have several cases of Great Swamp Ale. But thats the good stuff."

The human threw a pouch filled with solid gold coins. He pulled out one, good enough for three drinks. "Name's Nechayev. Quite a place you've got around here."

"Used to be," the wolf poured his drink and snatched up his coin. "Ever since these White Tigers moved in, I've been losing business."

"Why do you say that? It's filled to the brim."

"Yeah, but they don't pay. Since their leader is a prince, a snarky bastard at that, they think they don't have to pay." he looked around, making sure he wasn't caught for his comment. "I've already lost six waitresses this month because of their needs. My others are too afraid to come into work."

"I see. I see."

"Buy the way, where'd you get the coin. This is real gold, and have a whole pouch worth of the stuff. Seems too much for a common boiler-worker."

"I have my resources," he pulled the wolf closer. "Listen, I'm gonna buy you out of the Lizard Ale. I'll compensate you for your loss, plus interest. Just do what I tell you, and you'll die rich wolf."

"I'm listening."

Meanwhile, Tygra and his officers drank and harassed any waitress who dared to get too close.

"Oh, come on Tygra! She was your wife, she'll always be there!" Bengali followed this up with a loud, nauseating belch as Nechayev quietly ordered himself another round.

"I know Bengali, but she's been fuckin my brother, and choose him over me." Tygra whined. "I've been engaged to her for more then six years, and then little brother comes around and sticks his dick up her ass. Now their married and ruling over this empire."

"Well we do have the largest and deadliest army in the whole empire," Bengali said, taking another swig of his beer. "Let's just march on the capital, and kick' em off. You get the crown, loot, and any girls Lion-O may have hidden."

A young rabbit came up to their table and gave Tygra a mug filled with Great Swamp ale. "C-compliments of the human at the bar."

Tygra noticed his men's eyes were dark with lust. Who could blame them? The rabbit wore a very scantily clad uniform. Showing off her long legs, hourglass frame, and ample bust. Plus, the fact that she was insecure wearing the outfit, could make the most naive man stir.

"Bring him over," Tygra said. He moved his head slightly, allowing his men to chase after and take full advantage of the poor girl.

Nechayev walked over to Tygra's booth, sitting directly across from the drunken prince. Nechayev noticed how pathetic he looked. Spend enough time with corrupt, homicidal, armed forces leader, and you will hear a lot of self-pity.

"I just figured you needed so of the good stuff," Nechayev said. "a little pick me up."

What kind of man throws his enemies in prison and then tortures them to death? Usually it is a guy who feels so sorry for himself, that he feels justified doing anything.

"You know I don't really trust humans," Tygra smirk, while reaching for his pistol. "But you have good taste."

Killers, by and large, are whining losers. But that does not make them any less dangerous. Usually fine wine and company helps lower their guard. But when fine wine and company are out of the equation, one has to get creative. A drinking contest always helps.

For the next four hours, the ale flowed liberally amongst the two. Nechayev drank at a considerably lighter pace then his adversary. Ordering another round when Tygra was finished with his; sometimes he did not make it to the halfway mark. He also asked the bartender to water down his drinks, to avoid the alcohol build up.

As the twenty-two hundred hour mark rolled around, the royal prince was passed out on the table, allowing Nechayev to fully enjoy his ale in peace.

When he thought enough was enough, he quietly moved out of the bar. Stepping over drunken patrons as he went.

He stepped into the warm night air. Nechayev looked for someone who could secure the safety of the empire.

It only took him a moment to find a suitable target. The attractive brunette human walked towards him, dressed in almost nothing, a leopard-print bikini top, a tight leather miniskirt and fishnet stockings. Her black thigh boots clacked on the sidewalk as she walked up to Nechayev, her interest obvious as she took a drag on her cigarette.

"Hey there handsome. Name's Jewl. You got the green, I got the dream."

Nechayev thought that line was so tired, he briefly thought she was a cop. "Well, sexy, I got the green...but the dream would be for a friend of mine."

He pulled out another pouch of coins from his pocket, tossing it to the prostitute. "There's a man in that bar, finely dressed, a tiger, and he could use the attentions of someone like yourself. Think that's enough to get you and him into a motel?"

Jewl leafed through the pouch, a grin spreading on her face. "Yeah...this should cover it. Don't worry handsome, your friend will get the ride of his life." She stuffed the wad into her purse and turned to enter the bar. "Too bad not all my johns have friends like you."

"Wait," Nechayev pulled out two more gold coins, a camera, and a bottle of fake blood. "If you don't mind faking your own death. It'll be worth your while."

She took the pay raise and items with a devilish smirk. She knew what he had planned. Simple and satisfying blackmail.

After the night's action were completed, and Nechayev have a camera filled with enough dirt to shake the foundation of the empire, he figured to head home and let the alcohol take control.

In the morning, he would have to explain to Lion-O why he has a hangover.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes<em>

_Another day, another smut filled chapter. What the hell is wrong with me._

_Cheetara: Well, could be worse. Could have been engaged to Tygra._

_Which is why I'm going to send him to Fuuko as an act of good favor._

_Cheetara: Is that why you loaded his crate with nine-hundred pounds of dynamite?_

_They call that special moment for a reason. Ka-BOOOMM!_

_Later_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The streets of Thundera were blissfully quiet, disturbed only by the pacing of a passing city guard and the humans patrolling the roof tops. The singing of the crickets and the occasional neighing from the stables outside the city walls can be barely heard. The Games Arena was calm. The lower reaches were silent. And even the temple of divines was tranquil.

The Royal Chambers was a completely different matter.

Every night its walls were filled with sounds of pure ecstasy. Each nightfall, Emperor Lion-O came home to his wife, Cheetara, after a long day of ruling the glorious empire, covertly taking out political enemies and fighting for the greater good. He bedded her without fail and every night Pumyra had to put up with it.

The palace's outer walls shielded the town from Cheetara's cries and Lion-O's grunts but the inner walls disconnecting the bedrooms were far thinner. Pumyra laid in her bed clad only in a cloth shirt, trying her best to block out the animalistic noises coming from only a few meters away.

After their marriage, Cheetara became something of a housewife. Not to say her days of being a cleric were over, far from that. She would only use her skills to protect herself or Lion-O from outside assassination...

She would also use it to smack around some young cleric who thought that they could take her place.

Pumyra heard the bed begin to creak and bang against the wall of the opposite bedroom as Cheetara's screams of pleasure grew ever louder. She gritted her teeth and pulled her pillow over her head in an attempt to block out the noise. The couple had been married for around a year and half by now, but they still acted like passionate newly weds.

Throwing the pillow onto the bedroom floor, Pumyra sat up and held her head in her hands pressing her palms to her ears.

If she could not hear them she could not think about it.

If she could not think about it she could ignore them.

And if she could ignore them she couldn't ask herself the question she had been asking herself every night:

_"Why couldn't it be me?"_

Ever since she was appointed Lion-O's slave she had held a certain level of disdain for the Emperor. At first it was because of her just merely being a slave. Then, over time, and Cheetara's training, she had found some form of attraction to him. Purely physical attraction, as she unable to not admire the towering lion when he would march into his court, giving orders, and not taking anything that would oppose him and his goals.

Another scream came from their bedroom. How long had they been going at it now? Two? Three hours? The rumors were true about Thunderians having endless stamina.

Nikolia stood guard in front of the door, hiding within the shadows. Pumyra could empathize with her comrade, having to hear his godfather's rutting every night.

She could almost see them now.

Cheetara on her hands and knees, while Lion-O claimed her from behind. Straddling his lap as she danced on his length. On her knees taking every inch of him down her throat while he buried his hands in her feral hair.

A burning tightness began to coil in Pumyra's lower abdomen once again making her sigh in frustration.

Every single night the sounds became too much for her, forcing her to take things into her own hands. It was the only way to prevent herself from exploding out of sexual frustration and jumping on Lion-O when Cheetara was not around.

Her shirt fell to the floor as she lay back down on the silk covers. Her bare body was beginning to thrum with need. She let out a shuddering gasp as she circled her budding nipple with her finger tips, then a low moan as she pinched it between her thumb and forefinger. The screams continued blocking out any noise she made, ensuring she was in total privacy. Her left hand trailed gently down the front of her body towards her pulsating core, she imagine Lion-O's powerful hands touching her as she began to rub her throbbing clit.

"Lion-O" she moaned rubbing her clit harder "Oh... my master..."

Her hips rose off of the bed when she pushed a finger inside her wanting core. Sheer pleasure coursed through her body, causing her fur to stand-up, as she imagined herself in Cheetara's place. Under Lion-O. Riding him. Pleasuring him with her mouth and hands.

Two fingers pistoned in her core whilst her free hand massaged her breasts, completely ensconced in a world of her own. A world where she failed to notice the sounds from the adjacent bedroom dying down.

"Oh….Lion-O," Pumyra continued to mumble as a light coat of sweat glistened along her body. Her pants and moans blocked out the footsteps heading towards her small bedroom, "Oh yes…..take me please," it was these times at night that she dropped her cold and proud exterior, and let her emotions go. Her mind ran wild with images of her master. The lion taking her in every way possible "I need you!"

"Pumyra?"

The slave shot upright with shock at the sound of the husky voice coming from her doorway. She slowly turned to find Lion-O standing there with his sky blue eyes on her naked body. He was as bare as she was. Pumyra could not help but lick her lips as her eyes trailed down his toned chest, stomach then between his legs... She quickly snapped her out of her gutter ridden mind, restoring her warrior maiden mind frame. She rapidly concealed her nudity with the bed covers.

"Master!…I'm sorry," she half blurted trying her best not to blush bright red, "Do you require me?"

The lion nodded, and before the puma could get up and get dressed he wrapped his hands around her forearm and pulled her to her feet. Pumyra stared at the lion, still covering herself. He then took the quilted blanket from her grasp without any resistance and let it fall to the floor. He slowly took her form in as she stood there in complete awe.

Her body was immaculate, her deep white hair hung along her body. Her full lips, normally a paler shade of pink from Thundera's tempest weather, were an enticing rosy color.

Her fur was standing on edge. Her breasts were pert and her nipples hardened. Lion-O did not even have to touch them to know that they were firm. Her stomach was perfectly flat and her arms and legs were toned and not too muscular. Between her legs she was soaked and she hid nothing from him; subconsciously opening her legs as he inspected her.

Pumyra did not know why she was being so compliant; Lion-O was technically cheating on Cheetara moments after just bedding her, but she just couldn't help but go with her master's actions. He ran a rough hand from her collarbone down to her stomach giving a small smile at how soft her fur felt against his rough hand. The puma sighed as his touch made her legs shake slightly.

His hand wrapped around her arm again and she found herself being pulled out of the room. She put up no resistance as she was lead across the hallway. On the walls hung portraits of the former Thunderian emperors, on the chest of drawers under it was a small glass jewelry box which held several amulets and other trinkets of great value.

To her surprise, Pumyra found herself in Lion-O's bedroom. She entered the room daily but never with the lack of clothing. She suddenly felt more self-conscious than she had ever felt in her life as she noticed Cheetara spread out on the bed just as naked as her looking post sex radiant. She felt so plain compared to the cheetah. Cheetara's body had a healthy tone to it compared to Pumyra's bland brown. Her hair was jostled and mangled, making her look more like a wild beast. It did not obscure her true beauty but rather enhanced it.

The former warrior maiden stood in the middle of the room for a moment or two as Nikolia shut the doors from the outside. It was nothing personal, just his job. Lion-O sat down on the chair next to the door blocking any hope for escape.

"Do you require me?" she asked feeling more comfortable in her maiden sense of mind.

Cheetara smirked and sat up on her knees:

"Do you honestly think your lust is lost on us?" the emperess smiled near arrogantly as Pumyra's face flared up, "We can smell your desire. It is so strong that it's like you're right next to us."

Pumyra turned to Lion-O to see him nod in agreement:

"No matter how much Nikolia has taught you, you can't hide anything from us" he grated, tapping his nose. "I can proudly say that I can smell you a mile off," he added as the puma began to rub her hands together self-consciously, "You could have just simply told us your desires. It's as if you don't know us at all."

Pumyra looked at him with confusion before her face was pulled back to feel Cheetara's mouth press against hers. She stood wide eyed as the cheetah pushed against her body. Her arms moved around Pumyra's back and her mouth worked her still lips. Cheetara was in full heat, her body felt like an inferno compared to the puma's cool body. The heat began to rise in her abdomen and Pumyra soon found herself returning the kiss, embracing her mistress and running her hands across her back.

It was like another training session, except they never had Lion-O in the background growling in approval as the two women's embrace grew more passionate by the second. Their breasts rubbed against each other making them moan against the others lips. The cheetah forced Pumyra's lips open with her tongue and began plundering her mouth. The puma's legs began to shudder as Cheetara's hot tongue ravaged every inch of her mouth, wrapping around her own tongue. The cheetah wrapped a leg around Pumyra, pulling her closer until their cores ground together sending bolts of exquisite sensation through them

Sucking on the puma's tongue, Cheetara let out a low animalistic growl into her mouth. Pumyra moaned at the action as the kissing grew deeper. She had never revealed her hidden bisexual tendencies to anyone and greatly welcomed the chance to act on them. Just because her desires mainly fell on Lion-O did not mean that her mistress was completely on the sidelines.

Without breaking their kiss, Cheetara pulled the other feline down onto the bed tangling their limbs together. The empress snuck a look in the corner to her husband to find his attention solely on them, an entire harem of Thundera's finest could have been begging and pleading for his attention and he wouldn't have noticed. His body was starting to react to their display as his lion blood began to heat up again. Under her lustful gaze, Lion-O began to palm and stroke himself again. His length was still slick from his wife's juices.

Cheetara's shuddered and licked her lips at the sight; Pumyra had not noticed her master's actions while she continued to grind against Cheetara. Completely lost in the sexual haze, Lion-O's eyes turned to solely focus on her swaying ass. Perfectly round and full in contrast to her slender hips, developed by years of training and hard work. Lion-O stroked himself faster as Cheetara rolled Pumyra under her and ran her tongue from her throat down to her cleavage. Pumyra let out a throaty moan as Cheetara latched her lips around one of her pert nipples, sucking on the little nub trailing her fingers down the maiden's body

The puma let out a choked cry as Cheetara's finger tips brushed against her sensitive clit. The cheetah smirked against the puma's breasts, brushing her clit again and again and again. Soon the puma was squirming feebly under the cheetah as Cheetara gave some much needed attention on her neglected clit all the while suckling her breasts leaving dark love bites. Pumyra thought Cheetara couldn't get any more out of her - with all of the training she went through - that was until the empress pushed two fingers into her. Pumyra's world exploded in pleasure as Cheetara stroked her insides with skilful fingers.

Cheetara silently, and sadistically, enjoyed every moan and cry that she was able to elicit from Pumyra. Slowly trailing her tongue from her breasts down her stomach to where her fingers were working. A husky groan from the corner signaled that Lion-O was still watching and was very much enjoying it. The empress' hot tongue flicked across Pumyra's clit, making the maiden sob with pleasure. Pumyra swore if she bit her again down there, then all bets were off.

In his chair, Lion-O continued to stroke himself. Not so fast as to build up a release but enough to feel good. Cheetara swayed her behind at him to keep him interested while she moved her tongue into Pumyra's seeping core. The cheetah marvelled at Pumyra's taste, swirling her tongue as she pushed her tongue deeper. Pumyra grabbed hold of Cheetara's hair, tugging at it as her head swam. She looked up to see Lion-O staring intently at her. His eyes completely dark with desire. Feeling his gaze on her made her lust expand tenfold as well sending waves of pleasure through her. Moments later Cheetara's tongue pressed against her sweet spot, sending her over the edge.

Pumyra bucked and jerked on the bed, keeping Cheetara's face pressed to her mound as she rode out the waves of crushing ecstasy. Cheetara continued to feast upon her as her juices flowed into her mouth. Her orgasm lasted several minutes before finally collapsing, panting heavily and letting her grip of Cheetara's hair go.

Licking her lips, Cheetara sat up eyeing her work. Pumyra was practically glowing in post orgasm. With her hair matted and body shimmering with sweat. Cheetara then looked to Lion-O, his muscles were tense and he was breathing heavily.

With a wicked glint in her eyes she egged him forward, "Come and get us, my love."

The lion was up in an instant. His footsteps echoing in the room as he approached the bed. The bed creaked under his extra weight as he mounted it. A mewling sound escaped Pumyra's lips as Cheetara rolled her over onto her stomach. She attempted to move to investigate the huntress' actions when she felt it. Hands on her hips and her folds being spread by something much, _much_ thicker than Cheetara's tongue

She dug her fingers into the covers and screamed. It felt so good that it hurt. It was her first time and already Lion-O was completely in. And when he fully sheathed inside her she felt like she was going to burst from his girth alone.

Lion-O growled as he fully penetrated his slave. He had fantasized what this would be like when he first received Pumyra, but those thoughts were pushed back when he married Cheetara. His wife ran her hands up and down his back, following each stressed muscle as the lion waited for Pumyra to adjust to him. Once she stopped shaking, and had gotten used to his girth inside of her, Pumyra rocked back against him showing her readiness.

Groaning from the friction, Lion-O slowly pulled out hissing as the puma's core gripped onto his length as it slid out before ramming back in. She gasped and panted as her master built up a steady hard pace. Cheetara sat back to watch her husband ravage the former warrior maiden. Pumyra's eyes rolled up and her toes curled, the very sight (the very sight of what, pray tell) making her core throb again.

She ran a finger down her front to between her legs slowly circling her sensitive center, making her shudder with pleasure. Pumyra keened with every hard thrust, making her body jolt up the bed. Her breasts rubbed against the soft covers and with every thrust the broad head of Lion-O's cock slammed against her cervix, making her cry harder.

Lion-O gripped Pumyra's hips to the point of leaving bruises while slamming his pelvis against her firm behind over and over. Pumyra was the perfect combination of tight and hot and the way she responded to his every move was like being in paradise. He removed one hand from her waist and brought it to her hair grabbing a handful and pulling it back. Pumyra's head jerked back slightly letting her moans and screams be heard fully.

Call it a sick fetish, but Lion-O preferred hearing screams over moans during sex. The way he had it figured, a screaming female was enjoying herself more than just a moaning one.

Soon enough though, her screams became muffled again. Lion-O opened his eyes to find that Cheetara was making Pumyra return the favor for earlier. Pressing the slaves face against her soaking mound, Cheetara wrapped her legs around her shoulders to prevent any form of escape. Pumyra seemed to have no complaints lapping her mistress's core. Running her tongue along the soaked entrance, causing the cheetah to shudder, Pumyra enjoyed her mistress's sweet taste coupled with something else. Something more robust and heavier on her tongue. She soon came to realize that Lion-O's cum still resided inside Cheetara, making her lap at her with more vigor.

The three soon hit a fast and steady rhythm. Cheetara laid back on the bed holding Pumyra's face to her, grinding against her mouth as she lustfully feasted on her. Lion-O's hand had returned to Pumyra's hip and was now was bucking her with everything he could. Pumyra climaxed over and over as the minutes passed, and her rampant tongue brought Cheetara over the edge with her more than a couple of times.

Lion-O's stomach began to tighten as the familiar feeling came over him once again. His cock thickened inside of Pumyra, making her push back harder against him. His heart began to pound from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He pounded into Pumyra harder and faster making her scream into Cheetara, in turn making her orgasm again and scream.

Seconds later Pumyra felt the scolding rush of Lion-O's release shooting into her. She let out one last scream against Cheetara before collapsing completely. She felt Lion-O slowly pull out of her before crashing next to her, lightly snoring shortly afterwards. She also heard Cheetara give a small sigh and chuckle wearily as she pulled away and tugged the cover from under them rearranging it over them before settling in next to Pumyra.

Shortly after that everything went peacefully black

* * *

><p>The same could not be said for Nikolia, though. It seemed ever since Lion-O and Cheetara tied the knot, he lost more sleep caused by their constant intercourse. Now that Lion-O brought Pumyra into the picture, his apprentice no less, Nikolia figured he might never sleep again.<p>

Rubbing his temples out of exhaustion, Nikolia looked down at a small, handheld, tablet that had a message on it.

It read:

_Dear Nikolia,_

_I know you told me to break off all contact with you, and I might be putting my safety on the line by writing to you. But please come home soon. We all miss you. Especially Katerina._

_Stay safe,_

_Love, your little sister,_

_Feodora._

Nikolia sighed and hit the delete button. He heard another scream from the chambers and thought. _"Maybe a visit home might do me some good."_

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes<em>

_Hey guys I'm back, and just getting over a terrible cold. So what is the best medicine? Nothing but 100% pure, un-rate, smut._

_Nikolia: Oh, cry me a river. So far you have me sleep deprived and completely drunk. No cold could beat that._

_True, but in the last chapter you may have some time to relax. __By the way, I need to explain something. Nikolia is Lion-O's godson. It was a idea I had from earlier ideas, and I just completely forgot that I did not mention it. So flamers, bug off!_

_Thank you Fuuko for editing and getting rid of Tygra for me._

_Until next time. Later. _


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

All around the buildings burned. Tygra strode through the maelstrom of battle, shouting commands to his men.

"Bengali! I want those Fenris missiles into that forward emplacement now! The rest of you form up and prepare to storm in as soon the door is blown!"

Green acknowledgement lights filled his heads-up display. He raced from the doorway where he had been sheltering to a huge block of fallen masonry some twelve meters closer to his objective. Enemy fire melted the concrete behind his heels but, even in his heavy armor, he moved too quickly for Mumm-ra's expendables to get a lock on him. He threw himself into a crouch behind the rubble and waited for a moment.

The thunder of heavy ordnance filled the air. Somewhere off in the distance he could hear the howl of Condor and the multiple sonic booms as they slowed their speed down. Even as he watched, bright yellow contrails pierced the leaden clouds and the gunships hovered into view. Missile clusters detached themselves from their wings and hurtled ground wards to smash into the Dominion's position. He checked his weapons with the precision of a decade of experience took a deep breath, intoned a prayer to which ever god was listening and waited.

He was aware of everything. The beat of his heart was regular. His body was already healing the minor cuts and grazes he had taken from shrapnel. He could feel a slick nick on his face closing itself. His senses, far sharper than those of any other cat in the empire, kept up a steady flow of information on the battlefield around him.

From nearby he could smell the comforting presence of his soldiers, a compound of hardened silicon, oil, the burnt fur and the subtle markers which told they were not quite cat. More than that, he could pick out the faint pheromone traces of anger, pain and well-controlled fear.

He checked his armor to ensure the integrity had not been breached. He had a few scruffs here and there from where the shrapnel had bounced from the hardened skin. In two spots he found blisters on the paintwork that told of a close call with a plasma rifle bolt. In one spot there was a distinct chip on the shoulder pad where a hot piece of shrapnel had torn through the raised rim.

Nothing serious.

Not much to worry about. All in all then, things did not look too bad. If truth be told, he was enjoying the situation. After a month of being locked up in a cell back in the homeland just for killing a few un-armed sympathizers, and a week cooped up onboard one of the Empires carriers en route for to this last battle, he relished the action. It was hardly surprising really: it was what he had been born to do, and what he had trained for. His entire life had been a preparation for these kinds of moments He was, after all, the head of the White Tigers.

What more could he possibly ask from life than this?

He had a loaded assault rifle in his hands and the last enemies of the Empire before him. In this life, there was no greater pleasure to be found than performing his duty and ending the lives of those sorry lizards.

The masonry at his back shattered. Chunks of stone clattered off his armor. Someone had hit cover with something heavy, a rocket perhaps or a very heavy grenade. Not that it mattered. He knew from long experience that the metal-reinforced concrete could take it.

A minute and forty seconds had passed since he gave Bengali his orders. He figured it would take two minutes to get themselves into position, and another ten seconds for him to line up a shot.

In that time, it was impossible for the lizards to chip away at his cover unless they had far more firepower than what they were currently using.

It was a thought that had apparently occurred to enemy commander too. Tygra could hear the sound of monstrous tracks coming closer. He knew that they must belong to an enemy vehicle. The White Tigers were shock troopers, mostly infantry and light armor, and they were spearheading the assault for the heavy armor. The logical conclusion was simple. Whatever was approaching was not friendly.

A call on his COM soon confirmed this.

_/Lord Tygra. Mumm-ra's Storm Charger approaching your position. Do you wish assistance? Over./_

Tygra considered for an instant. At this point, the Condors' air-support was needed else where. He did not want to draw their help away from his soldiers. Particularly not to deal with a single tank. Even if it was Mumm-ra's.

_/Tygra here. Negative. I will deal with the Storm Charger. Over./_

_/Message received and understood. May the divines watch over you. Over./_

Tygra considered his options. He could hear the tank approaching, smell the acrid chemical fumes of its exhaust. Concrete was crushed under it's treads as it moved. Sand was kicked up and swirled into a dust storm around it.

He could order Bengali with his squad of heavy support weapons to blast the tank but that would mean cancelling the attack on the Dark Pyramid while Bengali moved into a new position, and Tygra doubted that there was any need for that.

He raised himself to his feet, measuring the distance between himself and the tank with a practiced eye. No more then twenty strides, he guessed. The distance was closing fast as the tank rumbled forward. He could see that the turret-mounted heavy machine gun was already swiveling to bear on him. His position had been flanked. It was just as well that he had decided to abandon it anyway.

His armor whined as he raced across the open sands towards the tank. Once again plasma bolts dogged his heels, but he counted on that, the gunners were too surprised by his sudden break from cover in the direction of the tank to target him swiftly. The tank's gunners obviously could not believe his eyes either. Tracer fire ripped the air over his head targeted on a spot behind him. The gunners's efforts were half-hearted. They seemed to have reckoned that he was going to be ground to piece beneath their onrushing vehicle. Tygra intended to prove them wrong. They would pay for underestimating one of the sons of Claudus.

He rushed directly at the tank. It swelled swiftly in his view. Even though he had often marched beside such vehicles or clung to their side as they carried himself and his men into the fray, he was surprised by how big this on looked now.

He smiled.

It was always different when you actually had to fight one of these things.

The gap between him and the Storm Changer closed quickly. The air thrummed with the vibration of the engines. The exhaust stink became near-overpowering to his nostrils. The flickering plasma bolts came closer to his heels.

At the last second he threw himself to the right, putting the Storm Changer between himself and the fire from the enemy bunker. He reached out and lobbed the first frag (what is frag? Not even spell check can figure this out) grenade between the drive cogs and the tracks they were linked with. the charge was shaped and the fuse was set for three seconds. Plenty of time for Tygra to set another charge.

When they exploded, whole sections of tread were blasted away and driving cogs began to grind to a halt as the power train failed. A huge section of track flapped free and almost hit Tygra. Only his lightning-swift reflexes, keyed by super being keenness by the stress of battle, enabled him to duck beneath it. Just as well, really, since he guessed the sheer force with which the articulated metal segments were moving would be enough to take his head clean off.

Robbed of the power of one set of treads, the Storm Changer began to rotate slowly on the spot. The tracks on the other side were still working and pushing it forward but it was not going anywhere except in circles. Tygra was glad of that. Since the turret was already beginning to swivel in the direction of his squad it was time to move to the next phase of his plan.

With a mighty leap Tygra sprang onto the side of the Storm Changer just above the track guard. He landed easily, heavy boots ringing against the hull, and raced forward, hoping that no one inside the tank had yet realized what was going on. He could hear the muffled bellowing of orders and confused shrieks from within so he guessed they had not.

Good.

They would never realize what hit them. He raced forward to the turret and saw that hatch was closed.

"Such a pity,"

Tygra thought, but nonetheless it was what he had expected.

In the close quarters combat of a city fight no tank commander was going to go around with his head exposed. Still, it was foolish for them to have advanced so far without close infantry support. It would have been far more difficult for him to do what he planned in the presence of armed warriors. He guessed that the tank had come as quickly as possible in response to a desperate plea for help from the bunker. Well, he would make sure the lizards paid for that mistake.

He reached down and grasped the handle on the top of the turret with both hands then braced himself. He strained with all the strength of his muscles and tugged. Nothing happened. He threw more and more energy into his arms until his muscles were almost overloaded and his sight blacked out. Slowly at first, with an awful grinding sound, the hatch began to come away from its hinges. Metal bulked under the terrible strength of the tiger. Tygra became overbalanced as the cover came free in his hands.

"If you plan to kill me, you have to try harder than that!" Tygra shouted at the tank.

There was a rush of foul air from within the super-tank, Tygra recognized the stink of mutation, and Mumm-ra finally showed. In the very beginning, Mumm-ra was roughly twice Lion-O's height and even more physically imposing than Panthro. His bandages were only seen in a few places on his body and his skin is charred-gray. He wore gold armor with blue accents and bore a piece of gold armor on his chest that is emblazoned with his entwined serpent insignia.

But now he was skinny and emaciated and wrapped in bandages with little to no flesh showing aside from his face, hands, and feet. He was covered in a red cloak that is still tattered and singed from his confrontation with Lion-O.

"Prince Tygra. Fitting that we meet on the battlefield." His voice was more raspy and high pitched in this weakened form. "Too bad it you could not use the Sword of Omens."

"Indeed. Funny how life works. One moment you are on top, the next you are in the sewers."

"I'll take it that you did not just surrender so that we could discuss the value of life," Mumm-ra hissed. "What is it that you need?"

"Lion-O has taken everything from me. My shot at the crown. My army. My sword. And even my wife! I want it all back. So I figured we could help each other. I will fight as one of your commanders, and you will help me take back what's mine!"

Mumm-ra never gave him an answer. Instead the mutant fell forward. Dead caused by twenty or more knives that stabbed into his back. Behind the corpse was Nikolia, staying low to the tank. Like a predator.

"Well, well, well," Tygra said as Mumm-ra's knife ridden corpse landed on the ground. "My little brother's pet human. Come to ruin my fun again?"

"I was chosen for this mission because killing is an art. I am a Master." a blade retracted itself back into his sleeve. "And you are my medium."

Suddenly, five other White Tigers, led by Bengali, came to back up their commander. Tygra would lecture him later about leaving his position.

"Lay down your weapons and surrender, assassin. You are surrounded and outnumbered!" shouted Bengali, stepping forward.

Before he could utter another word, Nikolia had sprung from his stance, energy returning to his weary limbs. Bengali had no time to react, not expecting his opponent to be so bold in the face of such overwhelming odds. Nikolia's tomahawk arm circled in a blur, the blade whistling as it sliced through the air - Bengali tried in vain to raise his sword to parry, but Nikolia's movement was simply too quick. The assassin's tomahawk hit its mark with unfaltering accuracy, slicing into the white tigers exposed neck - a plume of blood following its impact.

The three remaining guards stood motionless - astonished at the speed of the human, and idiotic in the face of such a skilled foe. This delay was their death. Nikolia's tomahawk had barely finished its first lethal arc as he raised his left hand, the mechanism of his hidden-blade clicking as the lethal spike revealed itself from his sleeve.

It pierced the second soldier guard between the eyes before he could even twitch a muscle in defense.

The third soldier acted on fear and tried to attack from behind, using his rifle like a club. Nikolia parried, turned on his heel, and wrestled the gun from the soldiers grasp. All Nikolia had to do was smirk, and the two remaining soldiers fled.

"Bravo. What an epic display," Tygra clapped, "A pity that your father could not live to see it," Nikolia stood where he was. The hidden knife went back into his sleeve, and the tomahawk fell to the ground. "As for your little sister, well, once I've dealt with you, I promise I'll give her my full attention."

Nikolia closed his eyes and the world around him slowed to a halt.

_"Ardacril, Lord of Hunters, grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet swift."_

Nikolia opened his eyes, seeing a dark tunnel with him on one side and Tygra on the other._ "And should the worst come to pass, please, grant me forgiveness."_

Nikolia turned a dial on his wrist mounted device, stuck out his arm, aimed, and then fired. A simple gun was masked over the louder explosion of Mumm-ra's temple being destroyed. Tygra was dead before he knew it as his body fell to the ground.

"Requiescat in pace," Nikolia whispered into Tygra's ears as he closed his eyes. He then picked up Tygra's rifle, shot Mumm-ra until he was a heap of red paste, and laid it back in Tygra's possession. No one needed to know what could have happened here today, and what he had to do to prevent it.

* * *

><p><em>We have gone to places very far from home. Time long passed since we have seen the sun rise. An era of peace has finally come. An era where we can rest and laugh and sing and love once more./_

Those were the words Lion-O gave at the sermon for Tygra. Details about how he killed Mumm-ra, or how himself died, were sketchy at best. But at listening to Nikolia's proof, Lion-O knew he had to cover it up the best he could. To the public, he died a hero. A true son of the Empire, a caring brother, and a loving individual.

It was late into the night when Lion-O slipped out of the parlor. He had hid his grief well for the past few days and during the funeral but everyone had their breaking point, Lion-O had taken that time in the comfort of his room.

Walking down the darkened hallways, all that could be heard was the thunderous downpour outside. Pausing in mid step, he watched the rain drops flow down the glass windows, immersed in his own memories. It hadn't stopped raining all week. Lion-O shook his head as the dam he had kept within himself threatened to burst again but he held it in. Lion-O had to be strong for his country.

Heading towards his chambers, he made sure to give any guard the night off. Once that was done, he headed towards his study to activate the custom made security system when something through the window caught his attention. There was someone in the gardens.

Frowning, Lion-O grabbed an umbrella opening it as he ventured out into the freezing rain. He stood watching Cheetara stand in the rain, letting the icy droplets mat her spotted hair to her skull and drench her black clothes.

"I thought I told you to go rest." he said placing the umbrella over her body, protecting her from the rain. Cheetara ignored him which deepened his frown.

"Tara." he insisted. Her eyes turned to him, pure grief and self torment shone so brightly inside them that it caught him off guard for a moment. Lion-O stood his ground, refusing to look away. If he did not deal with this here and now, she might shut him out for good.

"Talk to me. You haven't said a word since...since the funeral." Lion-O couldn't believe he had managed to choke the words out.

Cheetara redirected her gaze to the rain. It had been to be expected, Tygra was in the military, but the evidence that Nikolia had was unfathomable. Recalling the event was heart wrenching.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this. He abandoned me... he left me... but he wasn't... It should've been me..."

Lion-O tossed the umbrella aside needing both his hands; one to take hold of her wife's soaked dress her, his blue eyes ablaze, as the other one was planted on her arm. The tears that he had been holding back since the service had finally broken free.

"Stop it! You've been beating yourself up about it all week! Enough! Don't ever wish that upon yourself! I need you! We both have a lot of lives taken by our hands and actions but we serve our penance by living with that fact daily. We cannot turn back time Cheetara, no matter how much we wish we could! "

Cheetara buried her face in his chest clinging to him.

"I-If anything the blame should be on me...I was…I should have told him. I should have stopped him sooner." He said hoping he didn't notice her slip up.

Lion-O hugged her close, the warmth of his body seeping into hers. Anchoring her.

"I'm still here; I will always be by your side. I know how much you loved him but you cannot wallow in self pity while someone out there kills those we love. You must live on Lelouch." She said smiling softly.

"Lion-O I-" A finger pushed against her cold lips.

"Our days of struggle and warfare are over. You don't need to burden yourself anymore, Tara." he whispered. "Please."

Cheetara looked deep into her husband's pleading eyes, seeing his genuine wish for her to not become enveloped with grief. He brushed her long damp hair away from her face, lips brushing against her forehead in form of a silent promise.

Cheetara shut her eyes, knowing that this was the best she was going to get out of him. They had promised never to lie to each other and he was holding to it by not voicing any promises. She took his hand and the discarded umbrella heading back inside their home. Lion-O led her back up to their bedroom, seating her on their large bed, while grabbing a towel from the rack in their washroom.

Climbing onto their bed, he knelt behind her placing a small towel on her head.

Gently rubbing her long braided hair, a small smile formed on her pink lips as she looked at her husband.

"You need a haircut again." She prodded softly.

"A long mane comes with the territory."

"But how about falling into your face?" she pushed a few of Lion-O bang's into his face.

"... Good point." he blew the hair from his eyes. "Maybe we should get away for a while. Try to collect ourselves before anything else happens."

"Let's go to Kataca," Cheetara said. "It's in the mountains, private, quiet, and has the best hot springs. Do you want to bring Pumyra?"

"Only if you promise to be gentle on her."

"What about Nikolia? We should at least repay him for his service."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Property. Title. A hot kitty, maybe."

"He already has two of the three, but he isn't interested in any Thunderian women. Says they're easy on the eyes, but he would stay with humans."

"To bad," Cheetara wrapped Lion-O's arm around her. "He has no idea what he's missing."

Lion-O sunk deeper into one of his wife's favourite rituals. Lion-O turned slightly, grasping Cheetara's face, cradling her head. His thumb brushed the swell of her left cheek, drinking in her appearance. The emperor was overcome with the strong swell of emotion, he always felt when he beheld her.

He pulled her closer, lips claiming hers in a heated kiss the towel slipping from her fingers as she slipped her hands around his neck. The cheetah delved into his mouth with her tongue, unrelenting with her wild passion he loved, pulling back to lie on their bed.

Lion-O shifted his position, climbing over her body, and supporting himself with his arm as he looked at her. Cheetara reached up wiping a tear half way down his cheek, hair fanned out, slightly damp and wild, leaning up to lick the other away while also sending shivers down his spine.

"We will share our sorrow and pain together, Cheetara. You don't have to hide it from me. I'm here." he whispered eyes soft and sincere. Passion and love overwhelmed him, capturing her lips once more as Cheetara undid his wet shirt, long legs wrapping around his waist pulling him closer.

In their composed frenzy, there was no time to strip themselves of all clothing, and something about that sense of urgency and necessity made the entire scenario that much hotter for the both of them.

At last, his aching cock was freed, and there was nothing keeping Lion-O from fucking her senseless the way he wanted. His hands reached down to seize her supple thighs, and pulled them upward so they became tightly wrapped around his hips. Cheetara complied fervently, and made no indication that she wanted them anywhere else. Her head fell back against the mattress, exposing the soft part of her throat. Her neck still bore several little bite marks from Lion-O, but tonight he decided to make her his mate with one big one.

She murmured his name again as his teeth bit into her. A weak plea that brought a grin to his lips. He was previously concerned that bringing her to such a climax already might have dampened her sexual appetite, but she readily proved him otherwise.

Lion-O shifted his hips, and gave them a hard thrust, fully sheathing himself inside his wife in a single swift stroke. Cheetara's glistening lips fell open to accommodate a shameless moan of unparalleled bliss. Although he fought to keep his eyes open to watch her luscious lips form every whimper and sigh he forced out of her, the pleasure wouldn't let him.

His eyes screwed themselves shut to allow total concentration elsewhere. As he pulled out of her following each pointed thrust, the feeling of withdrawing from her wet, tight heat was more than he could bear. Consequently, there was no lag time between thrusts, as he was keen to bury himself inside of her as quickly as possible. The long-overdue intimacy made for a rough, impassioned act…far more of a thorough fucking than any gentle love-making—and they both were perfectly content with that.

At last, Lion-O felt his release draw near, and he was in no mood to hold it off any longer. Cheetara cried out his name, giving a warning of her own impending climax, and it nearly finished him.

He braced one arm against the bed, the other was working at her breasts, and the slight shift in position suddenly allowed for a deeper purchase. They both felt it as his throbbing cock struck that sweet spot she hid so well. He groaned through gritted teeth, gave a final hard thrust, and Cheetara came. Her hips bucking up impulsively, driving Lion-O in as deep as possible. The feeling he craved enveloped his manhood as her muscles gave way to vicious spasms that delivered the final blow once more. Almost involuntarily, he choked out her name before he came, a long awaited release that nearly had him crashing to the mattress.

The darkness was heavy upon them as the lovers stayed where they were, entwined and, at last, satisfied. She unwrapped her legs from his hips and he reluctantly withdrew himself from her delicious heat.

Cheetara lifted one hand off of Lion-O's shoulders and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to brush a few stray, sticky strands out of her face. As Lion-O began to regain his composure, he removed himself of his remaining rain-soaked clothing. Looking to his side he saw Cheetara dip a single finger into her flushed, abused clit, and brought the digit, dripping in his cum, to her mouth. She touched the tip of her finger to her plump lips before sliding it into her mouth and swirling her tongue around it rather thoroughly. Lion-O had stopped this action. The sight of her savoring his spilled seed made his cock ache for another round, even as exhausted as he was. Cheetara smiled at the emperor's dumb-founded, her tousled hair framing her grinning features.

"For the record, I think I won this round." Cheetara purred. "Unless you can convince me otherwise…"

Lion-O, still drained as he was, laughed under his breath, and felt a smirk grow on his lips as he pulled her close.

"I shall enjoy every second of proving you wrong, Tara."

It was here in each others arms that the world made sense to them. That everything felt right.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes<em>

_Thank sweet God, Tygra is dead. Now if I could do it in reality._

_Lion-O: Well technically you sent him to Fuuko._

_Which is a fate worse then death... for him._

_Later._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was not a spontaneous idea to Cheetara... she had been thinking of it for quite a while, in fact. Call it a one last fling before they head out. She had turned it over and over again in her mind, imagining it, figuring out just how she could best pull it off, and somehow, Lion-O never caught onto her plans…Everything was going perfectly.

The first part of her plan was easy. It was just lewd enough to entice her husband, making it certain he could not resist, and it would put her in control.

"I have to admit," Lion-O whispered in the dark, the pair of them slinking through lonely halls and past sleeping guards into the throne room, "Even as harmless as this is, it doesn't seem like something I would expect from the prim and proper Cheetara."

She tipped her head over her shoulder to glance back at him, and he flashed her a teasing smile, one corner of his lips playfully upturned. She laughed quietly, knowing that very soon, he might not think her desires to be so_ 'harmless'_.

"I'll have you know, I'm not always so good and lawful, Cheetara. You should know that more than anyone."

She matched his smile for a moment, then turned back to face the throne in front of them. It appeared to be made of rare, ancient stones, carved with runes that looked almost as old as time and seemed to have been cut there by wind and rain. The throne had been made to hold a man three times larger than Lion-O. The back of the seat was carved to resemble a great roaring lion's head looming over the sitter. Each arm of the throne was that it did not rest on the floor; instead it floated about a hand's breadth above it, and it turned as the Emperor wished.

And even though it was lavishly decorated, and showing the greatest technology - so far - it was dwarfed by the spacious hall surrounding them. It shone and glittered irresistibly in the Thunderian night.

They drew closer, quietly, light on their feet, yet excitedly, rather like eager children.

"The throne of Thundera…" Lion-O murmured, touching one of the arms of the chair with his fingertips, as if it was a long-lost relic. Cheetara watched as a grin blossomed over his lips.

"I've wanted to do this for ages," she spoke seductively, "I hope you don't think me too naughty for wanting to make the throne ours…" Cheetara lifted a lithe hand to Lion-O's arm and ran her fingers up to his shoulder and down again, a subtle tease to kick things off. He took her wandering hand in his and lifted it to his still smirking lips.

"I would love nothing more than to make that fantasy a reality, dear Tara," he said, and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

As she expected, such a sweet gesture had to be immediately followed by an aggressive one, as Lion-O snaked his other arm around Cheetara's waist and pulled her against him, ravaging her waiting lips in a ferocious kiss. By now, she was used to his passionate flair, the way he bit and suckled her lower lip to entice a whimper or sigh of submission. And she was more than happy to indulge his aggression, offering a little cry as he overtook her—a prize. Cheetara knew that very soon, she would be the one in charge, so she was willing to play along….for now.

Lion-Ocontinued to taste, explore, at last leaving her mouth to press a kiss to her throat. He knew it was a sensitive place on his huntress, and used it to his advantage. Cheetara's thoughts began to fog as she felt his tongue graze her heated flesh, teeth placing playful bites, and lips soothing her highly susceptible skin. In an instant, her confidence wavered as Lion-O's assault caused her knees to buckle.

But she swallowed hard, and regained her conviction. She shifted her body to press Lion-O back against the throne, and he fell into the regal seat without protest. The cheetah climbed into his lap, straddled his hips, her thighs flanking either side of his. Lion-O's brow cocked in vague surprise—taken back by Cheetara's closet aggressiveness—but a smile still graced his lips. She pressed her palms on the God's chest and slid them up over his shoulders before clasping her hands around the back of his neck.

"Someone's a bit eager, aren't they? I love it…" Lion-O murmured.

The lion leaned forward for another heated kiss. His hands were quick to find her thighs and slithered up her still-clothed legs. Rather unabashedly gripping her well-rounded rear. Cheetara offered up a coy gasp and a playful scolding, then removed Lion-O's lecherous hands and placed them firmly on each arm of the throne. Luckily for her, he did not bother to move them.

They remained closely entangled for a moment longer before Cheetara finally decided it was now or never, and leapt into action. Never breaking the kiss - the perfect distraction – the empress reached back and pulled twin lengths of rope from a hidden pocket. Tightly-woven and nearly unbreakable.

Just as swiftly, she wrapped one bit of rope under the right arm of the throne, over, and bound Lion-O's wrist tightly in place. Her hands moved so deftly, he had not so much as noticed what she had done until his right arm was pinned to the seat, and she was about to do the same to his left.

He broke the kiss in stunned urgency, but found himself speechless. In some form of objection, he tried to pull his free hand away, but Cheetara's warrior dexterity had him beat. She clutched his wrist in one hand and the rope in the other. As she began binding him to the throne, he finally uttered the only thing he could think of:

"Cheetara—what the hell are you doing?"

Once she was content with her handiwork, she lifted her gaze to look at him. A fierce and unpredictable shimmer lit up her eyes. The glance alone both terrified and aroused Lion-O to a severe degree. To some point, he started to pity Pumyra.

The faint worry that plagued his gorgeous features injected Cheetara with a healthy dose of triumphant glee. She knew he wouldn't appreciate what she was doing now, but she knew that she would make up for it soon enough. Lion-O gave his restraints a little tug, but found no room for movement.

"Lion-O, you've always been so…considerate of my pleasure," Cheetara began, a mischievous sarcasm painting her voice, "…always making certain that my needs come before yours…" As she spoke, she ran her fingers down along his tan throat to his chest, tracing little patterns on his exposed fur.

She leaned into him so that her lips just barely touched his ear and whispered, "I think it's about time you get what you deserve."

She pressed her lips to the soft bit of flesh just below, a teasing kiss - a taste of his own medicine - and she gave it a small nip.

He said her name again—a one last plea—the only word that spilled from his lips when he was desperate to say something, but unable to say anything. Cheetara did not stop, though. Instead, she slowly made her way down his neck, giving his collarbone a small nip. At last, she pulled back, briefly locked her dark gaze with Lion-O, and then he felt her hips shift as she crawled off of his lap. She stood up in front of the throne and tossed her hair behind her shoulder, her chin tipped up in the gesture with an air of daunting confidence that set Lion-O's mind reeling with possibilities.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes:<em>

_Hello faithful readers, The New Mandalord is back._

_By now you probably seen the new episode, and terrible writing that went with it. (What the hell, did Tygra loose hearing for five minutes. And Cheetara must of hit that rock pretty damn hard!)_

_This is why we have fanfiction people. To reject their reality, and instead subsitute our own._

_Did like the new ThunderTank. It is like the Thousand Sunny of tanks. (Thank you any One Piece fans who got the joke.)_

_Later._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Everything was going perfect, but then a bystander threw herself in between me and my target. She couldn't see me, but she was staring me down.

This girl had no idea who she was protecting at that moment.

Jacob Davidson. Human. A former Thunderian officer who became a mercenary leader. Wouldn't be too much trouble. No heightened senses like the Thunderians, or as tech competent as Berbils. There was not much known about Davidson, there never is much on file about rouge special operation operatives.

I hid in bushes one-hundred meters from the entrance to Davidson's building, looking through my scope, studying the building. Making sure he would not escape or double back. The building was well lit, security in lobby was like its private military. Equipped with anti-vehicle weapons and Kassa fortification body armor. Not many people entering or exiting the building. Only way was through the front door.

All I had was a M-99 Black Widow, which I nicknamed 'Vera.' The Empire wanted to reduce the reload time of the original Widow rifle, without sacrificing its stopping power. The solution was to increase the number of shots the gun could fire before it needed to reload. Heavy for a sniper rifle, the Black Widow's firepower more than compensates for its encumbrance. I could have missed Davidson by inches, and the shock alone could have been enough to kill him.

As he and a few armed guards were coming out of the building, I lined up my shot. It's just a tunnel between me and him. No one else existed. No sight. No sound. Just perfect peace. Then I saw her.

Her name was Katerina Amarante, and she was beautiful. Physically it was plain and simple. She was becoming a woman. She already started to grow, and she had started to develop a woman's body. The prepubescent disdain for the opposite sex had already given way to hormonal imperatives.

I have trained long and hard to withstand those impulses, to not get distracted by a pretty face when it comes to me and my target. But the fact that she was subtly putting her life on the line, protecting a man whom neither of us knew, was... mesmerizing. Her body was slightly trembling, but no fear. More like indignation. As if saying, how dare you.

Looking back, Katerina woke me up from the death sleep. I didn't even notice the heavily armored guards acting as their escorts.

I did not kill Davidson... well, not that day.

After that, I had to meet her. The memory possessed and endowed me. I fell on my knees before her and begged for forgiveness. She showed me a world outside of my work. Eventually she forgave me. Later she loved me.

We started seeing each other. Having secret affairs and staying out of the public eye. I became complacent. I thought that we were safe. I stayed in a dream too long and my enemies came for her.

Lizards. A slave ring that preyed on human colonies. I killed their leaders, so they wanted revenge. Later I found that they paid Tygra to find out who I was. But they were afraid, so they went after Katerina.

I sent her to stay with my family. They were the best, and Katerina would soon be the voice of our species, so it seemed like the best option.

Katerina woke me up. When she was threatened, I returned to the death sleep. My body hunted them. Murdered them. I was taught to grant death quickly, cleanly. To minimize suffering. Them... lets just say I took some enjoyment in watching them die.

I have killed many. Different methods. Gunfire, knives, drugs, tech attacks, and even once with farming equipment. But it was never murder!

I made the choice to hunt them. They were the only lives I have taken of my own choice. The only deaths on my own conscience.

I have not seen Katerina ever since then. I was afraid she will not recognize me.

* * *

><p>"... Nikolia. Are you even paying attention?"<p>

Nikolia snapped from his daydreaming. It was the afternoon when the little walled town of Natchaug, dominated by his uncle's rocca, appeared on its hill on the horizon. They had made better time than he had expected and had now eased their pace to spare the animals.

"Yes," Nikolia replied. "I was just thinking on how much more work I have to do." He yawned. "Perhaps it will soon be finished."

"Would that be so bad?" his uncle, Cortez, asked.

Nikolia was about to reply when he was interrupted by the sound of an explosion - cannon fire, from the direction of Natchaug. He drew his weapon, rising in his saddle to scan the ramparts.

"Don't worry," said Cortez, laughing heartily. "It's only exercises. We've upgraded the arsenal here and installed new cannons all along the battlements. We have training sessions daily."

"As long as they aren't aiming at us."

"Don't worry," said Cortez again. "It is true that the greens still need to get their eye in, but they have enough sense not to fire at their boss!"

A short while later they were riding through the open principal gate of the town and up the broad main thoroughfare, which led to the citadel. As they did so, crowds gathered to line the street, looking at Nikolia with a mixture or respect, admiration, and affection.

"Welcome back, Nikolia!" one woman called.

"Grazie, Madonna." Nikolia smiled back, inclining his head slightly.

"Three cheers for Nikolia!" a child's voice rang out.

"Buon giorno, fratellino," Nikolia said to him. Turning to Cortez, he added, "It's weird to be home."

"Weird how?"

"Weird in the good way, but I can't shake the feeling that it might soon turn into a kill zone."

"That feeling will pass soon enough. Just enjoy yourself. They're more pleased to see you than me," said Cortez, but he was smiling as he spoke, and in fact much of the cheering, especially from the older townsmen, was for him.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the old family seat again," said Nikolia. "It's been a while."

"It has indeed, and there are a couple of people there who'll be looking forward to seeing you."

Nikolia then noticed several ThunderCat and Cleric guards roaming around the city. "Who?"

"Can't guess? You can't be that preoccupied with your duties to the Empire."

"Of course - you mean my mother and Feodora! How are they?"

"Well. Your sister was very unhappy when her husband died, but time heals most wounds, and I think she's much better now. In fact, there she is."

They had ridden into the courtyard of Cortez's fortified residence now, and as they dismounted Nikolia's sister, Feodora, appeared at the top of the marble staircase that led up to the main entrance, flew down it, and into her brother's arms.

"Brother!" she cried, hugging him. "Your return home is the best birthday present I could have wished for!"

"Feodora, my dearest," said Nikolia, holding her close. "It is good to be back. How is mom?"

"Well, thanks be to the Divines. She's dying to see you - we've been on tenter-hooks ever since the news reached us that you were returning. And your fame goes before you!"

"Let's go in," said Cortez.

"There's someone else who'll be glad to see you," continue Feodora, taking his arm and escorting him up the staircase. "The Duchess of Minnechaug."

"Katerina? Here?" Nikolia tried to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"We did not know when exactly you would arrive. She and Mother are with abbess, but they will be here by sunset."

"Business as usual," said Cortez, knowingly. "I am calling a meeting later here tonight. Lion-O, I know, is especially keen to talk to you."

"Is it true, then?" asked Feodora intently. "Is the tiger truly dead?"

Nikolia's grey eyes hardened. "I will explain everything at the meeting this evening," he told her.

"Very well," replied Feodora, but her own eyes were troubled as she took her leave.

"And please give my greetings to the duchess when she returns," Nikolia called after her. "I will see her, and Mother, this evening. First I have business to attend to with Cortez that will not wait."

Once they were alone, Cortez's tone became serious. "You must prepare well for tonight, Nikolia. Lion-O will be here by sunset and I know he has many questions for you. We will discuss matters now, and then I advise you take some time off. Settle down for a bit. It won't hurt you to get to know the town again a little."

After a session of deep conversation with Cortez in his study, Nikolia made his way back into Natchaug. The questions of Tygra's death hung heavily over him, and he sought distraction from it. Cortez had suggested he visit his tailor to order some new clothes to replace his travel-stained ones, and first he made his way to the man's shop, where he found him sitting cross-legged on his workbench, sewing a brocade cloak of rich emerald green.

Nikolia liked the tailor, a good-natured fellow a little older than Nikolia was himself. The tailor greeted him warmly.

"To what do I owe the honor?" he asked.

"I think I'm long over-due for some new clothes," said Nikolia a little ruefully. "Tell me what do you think? Be honest!"

"Even if it was not my job to sell you clothes, signore, I would have to advise you that a new suit would do you some good."

"I thought as much. Very well!"

"I'll measure you now. Then you can pick out the clothes you'd like."

Nikolia submitted himself to the tailor's ministrations and choose a discreet dark-green velvet coat, closed on his waist by a red sash, with a matching shirt underneath.

"Can it be ready by tonight?"

The tailor smiled. "Do not insult me, signore. It can be ready in three hours."

"Very well," replied Nikolia, hoping that the meeting would not have a dress code.

He was making his way across the main square of the town when he noticed an attractive woman who was struggling with an unwieldy box of red and yellow plates - clearly too heavy to lift. At that time of day there were few people around, and Nikolia had always found it difficult to turn a cold shoulder.

"Can I lend you a hand?" he asked, coming up to her

She smiled at him. "Yes, you're just the man I need. My craftsman was supposed to pick these up for me but his wife is in labor so he had to go to her and as I was passing this way in any case I said I'd fetch them - but after lift two or three, this last box is far too heavy. Do you think you could-?"

"Of course." Nikolia stooped and hefted the box up. "So many platters! You must be well off."

"I'm better now that I've run into you."

There was no doubt that she was flirting with him. "You could have asked your husband to fetch them for you - or one of your other servants," he said.

"I only have one other servant and she isn't half as strong as I am," replied the woman. "And as for a husband - I have none."

"I see."

"I ordered these plates for Feodora Angelucci's birthday." the woman looked at him.

"That sounds like fun."

"It will be. I already ordered twelve cases of flowers for the occasion."

"Wow."

She paused. "In fact, if you'd like to help me out some more, I am rather looking for someone with a touch of class to escort me to it."

"What makes you think I have class?"

She was bolder now. "Look at you! No one in this town walks with greater bearing than you, sir. I'm sure Feodora's brother, Nikolia himself, would be impressed."

Nikolia smiled. "You know how to flatter a person. But what do you know of this Nikolia?"

"Katerina - who is a particular friend of mine - thinks the world of him. But he rarely visits her, and from what I have heard, he has been rather distant."

He decided it was time to come clean. "It is true - I have been... distant."

The woman gasped. "Oh no! You are Nikolia? I don't believe it. Feodora did say you were expected back. The party was supposed to be a surprise for her. Promise you won't say a word."

"You'd better tell me who you are now."

"Oh, of course. I am Ashlee Molinaro. Now promise!"

"What will you do to keep me quiet?"

She looked back at him archly. "Oh, I am sure I can think of several things."

"I'm curious to hear what they are." They had reached the door of Ashlee's house by this time. Ashlee's elderly housekeeper opened it to them and Nikolia placed the box of plates on a stone bench in the courtyard. He faced Ashlee and smiled..

"Now are you gonna tell me?"

"Later."

"Why not now?"

"Signore, I assure you it will be worth the wait."

Nikolia took his leave and, seeing that the day was drawing in, directed his walk back to the citadel. As he was approaching the stables, he noticed a child - a little girl - wandering down the middle of the street, apparently alone. He was about to speak to her when he was interrupted by the sound of frantic shouting and the thunder of hooves. Quicker than thought, he snatched up the child and moved her to the shelter of a doorway. Around the corner a powerful warhorse came at a gallop, fully harnessed but without a rider. In less than hot pursuit, and on foot, came Cortez's stable-master, an elderly man named Federico, whom Nikolia recognized.

"Torna qui, maledetto cavallo!" yelled Federico helplessly after the disappearing horse. Seeing Nikolia, he said, "Can you help me, please sir? It is your uncle's favorite. I was just about to unsaddle and groom him - something must have scared him - he's highly stung as it is."

"Don't worry, comrade - I'll try and get him back for you."

"Thank you - thank you." Federico mopped his brow. "I'm getting too old for this."

"Don't worry. Just stay here and keep an eye on this child - I think she's lost."

"Surely."

Nikolia raced off after the horse, which he found without difficulty. It had calmed down and was even grazing some hay that was loaded onto a parked truck. It balked slightly when Nikolia approached, but then recognized him and did not run. He laid a comforting hand on its neck and patted it reassuringly before taking its bridle and leading it gently back the way they had come.

On the way, he had the opportunity to do another good deed. He encountered a young woman, frantic with anxiety, who turned out to be the mother of the lost child. Nikolia explained what had happened, taking care to tone down the degree of danger the little girl had actually been in. Once he had told her where the girl was, she ran a head of him, calling out her child's name:

"Sofia! Sofia!"

And Nikolia heard the answering cry.

"Momma!"

Minutes later he had rejoined the little group and handed the reins over to Federico, who, thanking him again, begged him not to say anything to Cortez. Nikolia promised not to, and Federico led the har back to the stables.

The mother was still waiting with her daughter. Nikolia turned to them with a smile.

"She wants to say thank-you," said the mother.

"Thank you," said Sofia dutifully, looking up at him with a mixture of awe and trepidation.

"Stay with your mother next time," said Nikolia kindly. "Don't leave her alone, capisci?"

The little girl nodded mutely.

"We'd be lost without you and your family to watch over us, signore." said the mother.

"We do what we can," Nikolia said, but his thoughts were troubled as he entered the citadel. Even though he was pretty sure he could stand his ground, he was not looking forward to his encounter with Lion-O and Cheetara.

* * *

><p>There was still enough before the meeting, and to avoid brooding on the course it might take, but also from natural curiosity, Nikolia first climbed the ramparts to have a closer look at the new cannons' Cortez had installed and was so proud of. There were several of them, each with a pile of shells neatly stacked be their platforms, all cased in beautiful bronze.<p>

Nikolia approached a group of gunners clustered around one of the guns.

"Handsome beasts," he said, running a hand over the elaborately chased decoration around the barrel.

"Indeed they are, Lord Nikolia," said the leader of the group, a rough-hewn master-sergeant whom Nikolia remembered from his first visit to Minnechaug as a young boy.

"I heard you practicing earlier. May I try firing one of these?"

"You could, but we were firing smaller cannons earlier. These big guns are brand new. We don't seem to have got the trick of loading them yet and our engineer who's supposed to be installing them seems to have taken off."

"Have you got people looking for him?"

"Indeed we have, sir, but no luck so far."

"I'll have a look around, too - after all, these things aren't here for decoration and you never know how soon we'll need them.

Nikolia set off, continuing his rounds of the ramparts. He had not gone more than another twenty or thirty yards when he heard a loud grunting from a wooden shed on the top of one of the towers. Near it, outside, lay boxes of tools. As he approached, the grunts resolved themselves into snores.

It was dark and hot inside the shed and smelled appallingly of stale whiskey. As his eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, Nikolia quickly made out a large man in his none-too-clean dressings spread-eagled on a pile of straw. He gave the man a gentle kick, but its only effect was for the man to splutter, half awake, and then turn over with his face to the wall.

"Salve, Messere," Nikolia said, jostling the man again, less gently this time, with the toe in his boot.

This time the man twisted his head around to look at him and opened one eye. "What do you want, friend?"

"We need you to fix the cannons on the battlements."

"Not today, chum. First thing..."

"Are you too drunk to do your job? I don't think General Cortez would be very happy if he got wind of that."

"No more work today."

"But it's not that late. Do you know what time it is?"

"No. Don't care, either. I fix cannons, not clocks."

Nikolia had squatted down to speak to the man, who in turn had pulled himself into a sitting position and was treating Nikolia to a gale of his breath, pungent with garlic and cheap Johnnie Walker, as he belched luxuriously. Nikolia drew himself to his feet.

"We need those cannons ready to be fired, and we need them ready now," he said. "Do you want me to find someone else who's more capable than you?"

The engineer scrambled to his feet. "Not so fast, friend - no other man's going to lay hands on my guns." He leaned on Nikolia as he got his breath back. "You don't know what it's like - some of these soldiers, they got no respect for artillery. They expect a gun to work like magic, just like that! No sense of coaxing a good performance out of 'em."

"Can we talk as we walk?" said Nikolia, turning away from the rancid breath. "Time isn't standing still, you know."

"Mind you," the engineer continued, "These things we've got here, and I mean they're in a class of their own - nothing but the best for General Cortez - but they are still pretty simple. We call them Tremors for a reason.

They have a one hundred thirty-two millimeter caliber gun, capable of firing a thirty-eight kilogram shell over fifteen kilometers at a velocity of eight hundred fourteen miles per hour. So a shell fired to the weapon's maximum range would take nineteen seconds to reach its point of impact."

"Uh huh," Nikolia sighed. He would be more interested if the man did not smell so bad.

"The cannon itself is extremely reliable and consistent. It uses its standard five powder charges, but this can be increased with the addition of charges six and seven. This will increase the range of the weapon at the risk of the extra wear and tear on the barrel of the gun itself. Firing higher charged shots produces considerable strain and erosion on the barrel and the firing chamber, so that the weapon's breach seal fails, dramatically decreasing the gun's range and muzzle velocity and increasing the risk of a misfire."

"Oh, really,"

"Because of this, the use of higher charge shells must be authorized by high command and the firing is recorded on each gun. No gun may fire more than twenty overcharged rounds." The engineer continued. "The Tremors can also fire different types of shells as the situation requires, including smoke shells, incendiary shells, illumination shells and diamantine-tipped armor-penetrating shells. This is the future, chum."

By now they were approaching the group around the cannon.

"You can call off the hunt," said Nikolia cheerfully. "Here he is."

The master-sergeant eyed the engineer narrowly. "Up to it, is he?"

"I may be a little the worse for wear," retorted the engineer, "but I am a reasonable man. In these times, encouraging the sleeping warrior in my gut is the only way to stay alive. Therefore, it is my job to drink." He pushed the sergeant aside. "Let me see what we've got here..."

"He does realize that the war is over, right?" said one soldier.

"I'll be shocked if he knows his own name." said Nikolia.

After examining the cannon for a few moments, however, he rounded on the soldiers. "What have you been doing? You've been tampering with them, haven't you? Thank the Divines you didn't fire one - you could have gotten us all killed. They are not ready yet. You have to give the bores a good, thorough, cleaning first."

"Perhaps with you around we won't need the cannons after all," the sergeant told him. "We'll just get you to breathe on your enemy!"

But the engineer was busy with a cleaning rod and several wads of coarse, oily cotton. When he had finished, he stood up, easing his back.

"There, that's done it," he said. Turning to Nikolia, he went on, "Just get these fellows to load her - that is something they can do, though Divines knows it took 'em long enough to learn - and you can have a go. Look, over there on the hill." a soldier handed Nikolia a pair of birnoculars and pointed to the hills in the distance, "We set some targets up there on a level with this gun. Start by aiming at something on the same level; that way, if the cannon explodes, at least it won't take your head off with it."

"Reassuring enough," said Nikolia.

"Just try it, Messere. Here is the cord."

Nikolia gave a quick jerk or the rip-cord. For a slight second, nothing happened, he then sprang back as the cannon bucked and roared. Looking across to the targets, could see that his shell had shattered several of them.

"Well done," said the engineer. "Perfecto! At least one person here apart from me knows how to shoot."

Nikolia had the men reload and fired again. But this time he missed.

"Can't win 'em all," said the engineer. "But come back tomorrow. We'll be practicing again then and it'll give you a chance to get your eye in."

"I will," said Nikolia.

* * *

><p>When Nikolia entered the great hall of Cortez's citadel, the shadows of the evening were already gathering, and servants were beginning to replace burnt out lightbulbs to dispel the gloom. The gloom accorded with Nikolia's increasingly somber mood as the hour of the meeting approached.<p>

So wrapped up in his own thoughts was he that he did not notice the person hovering by the massive fireplace, her slight but caryatids that flanked the chimney, and was so startled when the woman approached him, touching his arm. Immediately he recognized her, and his features softened into an expression of pure pleasure.

"Buona sera, Nikolia," she said - her, a little shyly, he thought.

"Buona sera, Katerina," he replied, bowing to the Duchess of Minnechaug. Her long locks were pilled into a pony tail held up by a strip of stiff cloth dyed vermilion floating behind her, the ends of her hair curled into ringlets. Her fair face had minimal make-up, just a dash of pink lipstick, eye shadow and mascara. Her dress was causing a stir as well. It was definitely a Nikolia first. She wore a silk black furisode, with large white and red patterns of flowers woven across its fabric. The bottom part had been cut into strips to fall over her full black silk skirt she wore under the lovely kimono. A silver obi was tied at her waist, the knot made in the front to signify her wedded status. What was more shocking was that she wore a katana at her waist.

"Feodora told me you were here, and I have been looking forward to seeing you. But -" he hesitated. "- Minnechaug is far from Thundera, and-"

"You don't need to come up with excuses," she said with a trace of her former sharpness, though he could see by her smile that she was not entirely serious, and, for himself, he knew that he was still drawn to this fiercely independent and dangerous woman.

"I am always willing to be of service to you, Madonna - in any way I can." He meant it.

"Some ways are harder than others," she countered, and now there was tough note in her voice.

"What is it?"

"It is not a simple matter," continued Katerina Amarante, "I come in search for closure."

"Explain."

"The empire has relied on Minnechaug ever since the founding days. Whether it be man power, science, or technology. We might be a small province, but we hold most of the cards. With Claudus and Tygra dead, I want to make sure Lion-O does not forget who is friends are."

"And you desire my help?"

"I already know my presence in congress is small, but your connection with Lion-O would be a great asset to my cause."

"This is something I have to discuss with Cortez."

"He will not refuse me."

"And nor will I."

"By helping me, you will not just be doing me a favor. You will be taking a stand against anything that could topple the empire."

As they spoke, Cortez appeared. "Nikolia, Duchessa, we are gathered and awaiting you," he said, his face unusually serious.

"We will talk more of this," Nikolia told her. "I am bidden to a meeting that my uncle has called. I am expected to explain myself, I think. But afterward - let us arrange to see each other afterward."

"The meeting concerns me, as well," said Katerina. "Shall we go in?"

Acting as the gentleman, Nikolia stuck out his arm to escort her in. Their former intimacy was some way in the past, though neither of them had forgotten it, and when she touched his arm, both - Nikolia thought - had felt the chemistry once more.

The room was very familiar to Nikolia. There, on the new-exposed inner wall, the pages of Magna Leges were arranged were arranged in order. The desk, usually littered with maps, was cleared and around it, on severe straight-backed chairs of dark wood, sat those of the different assassin families who had gathered at Natchaug, together with those of the Angelucci family who were privy to its cause.

Cortez sat behind his desk, and at one end sat a sober, dark suited lion, still young-looking, though his mane was growing thicker and fuller, who had become one of Nikolia's closest associates, but also one of his most unremitting critics - Emperor Lion-O. Next to him was Empress Cheetara, appearing more radiant than usual, and their escort Pumyra.

They nodded guardedly at each other as Nikolia went over to greet Feodora and his mother, Diana Angelucci, matriarch of the family since their father's death. Diana hugged her only surviving son hard, as if life depended on it, and looked at him with shining eyes as he broke free and took a seat near Katerina and opposite Lion-O, who rose and looked questioningly at him. Clearly there was going to be no polite prologue to the matter at hand.

"First, perhaps, I should be owed an explanation," began Lion-O. "I was not present in the Black Pyramid when Tygra died and from the information gathered, I can not truly analyze what happened there. Cortez has given us his account, but yours alone can be the full one."

Nikolia rose in his turn and spoke simply and directly. "When I arrived at the Black Pyramid, the battle had already begun and Tygra had ordered a rocket salvo on the pyramid. Tygra was engaged with Mumm-ra's Storm Charger. He crippled it and killed most of the crew."

"What then?" prompted Cheetara, as the others watched in silence.

"Mumm-ra appeared. Tygra... he tried to strike a deal with Mumm-ra. If he and his White Tigers fought for the Dominion, Mumm-ra would give him the crown, the sword, and someone else." Nikolia looked at Cheetara, then went back to his story. "I killed Mumm-ra before the deal could be sealed. I also killed Tygra, Bengali, and two more soldiers. Finally, I made it look like Tygra killed Mumm-ra, and that he got killed by an enemy sniper. That is what truly happened."

"Unbelievable..." Feodora whispered.

"To think that my own brother..." Lion-O was in disbelief, while Cheetara let out a content sigh.

"What cannot be earned, can be taken away," said Nikolia. "With that mind set, he was more then willing to sell his soul to the devil. I am not here to debate the past. I firmly stand behind my decision. Now we should discuss the future. What we are to do."

"And that would be?" Cortez asked.

"Knowing the difference between friend and foe." Katerina stood as Nikolia took his seat. "Emperor Lion-O, your father had belittled and ridiculed my species since the day of founding. When the war broke out, you helped rebuild and when the empire need tech and soldiers we gave them to you."

"What is your point?" asked Lion-O.

"I want to make sure that the humans who fought and died are remembered for their service," she said bluntly. "Also, I want to make sure you do not turn on us like the Emperors of the past have."

"Well you can be glad I am not those Emperors," said Lion-O.

Katerina sat back down, her business was done. Katerina's eyes met Nikolia's. Did he imagine it, or was there a flicker of old lust there? He shrugged inwardly. Perhaps he had just imagined it.

* * *

><p>Nikolia ate lightly - just pollo ripieno with roast vegetables; and he drank his Chianti cut half-and-half with water. There was very little conversation at dinner, even among the different families. Nikolia answered his mother's string of questions politely but laconically. After all the tension that had mounted in anticipation of the meeting, all of which had now melted away, he was very tired.<p>

He had barely had a chance to rest since leaving Thundera, and it looked now as if it would be a long time still before he could realize a long-cherished ambition of settling down in Natchaug, just reading and walking in the surrounding gentle hills.

As soon as he decently could, he made his excuses to the company and set off for his bedroom, a large, quiet, dimly lit space on one of the upper floors, with a view across the country side rather than the town.

Once he had reached it and dismissed the servant, he let go of his steeliness that had supported him throughout the day, and his very body slumped, his shoulders sagged, and his walk eased. His movements were slow and deliberate.

He then heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" said Nikolia.

It was a servant, a young one at that. She must have been hired on recently. "I brought some late night food and drink…compliments of Lady Amarante."

"Who sent you?" Nikolia asked bluntly.

"Huh? I... um..."

Just the fact that this servant was stumbling made Nikolia believe that foul play might be afoot. "Be gone!" he ordered, and slumped into a waiting chair. "I'm not thirsty or hungry!"

He looked at his hands, seeing that they were worn and raw with calluses. The hair on the back of his neck stood, he knew he was no longer alone.

"You fear poison because you have poisoned others." A demonic, yet familiar voice said. "Do you see, Nikolia?"

Over in the corner sat Tygra, still dirty and battle-hardened from the day Nikolia shot him. The bullet hole could clearly be seen on his forehead.

"Appearing right here and now, don't you think that is a bit much?" said Nikolia calmly. "What if someone is to walk in?"

"If you can see me, hear me, and respond to me, then that just means your insanity is finally catching up to you."

Outside, the servant had her ear firmly pressed against the door. She was eating and drinking Nikolia's meal, thus proving his suspicion wrong. _"Who is he talking to?"_ She thought.

"How long are you going to stand there?" Nikolia barked from the other side. "Leave me alone. Begone!"

"Y-YES SIR!" With that the servant ran off. Almost dropping the platter while doing so.

Nikolia reclined in his chair, and let out a deep sigh. "International unification is a prerequisite to the construction of a utopia. Having two kings will lead to chaos. Your death was necessary."

"So the ends justify the means," Tygra said. "If that is what you run on, why did you not let Lion-O kill me?"

"Because history would have looked at it in the wrong way. Two brothers fighting against each other, for a title or a woman... I turned you into a legend, Tygra. If anything, you should be thanking me."

"Well... at least Cheetara's happy."

"Do you know she's pregnant?"

"Oh, really? How can you tell?"

"Mere observation. For an ageless cheetah of perfect physique, she has put on a pound or two. Then there were the two or three darker hairs, her_ interesting _choice of a meal, and the fact she was practically glowing."

"My best to both of them." Tygra said. "Sorry if I don't sound happy that they are bringing a child that might be as horny as they are."

"Quite honestly, I'm amazed they aren't on six or seven by now. And then there is Pumyra..."

"Don't tell me she is also pregnant."

"No," said Nikolia. "Feodora taught her a technique to make sure that never happens. But still... gods…I think the fact that Cheetara also likes her, has made it worse."

"So what are they gonna call the little rugrat?"

"Haven't a clue. My best guess if it is a girl, Idith,"

"After mom."

"And if it is a boy, divines help us both... maybe Tygrus."

"After me. Why?"

"Lion-O still thinks of you as a good man and a brother. Let him believe in that rather than the truth." Nikolia smiled, and then began to chuckle a bit.

"What's so funny?"

"I hate you for what you did to my father and Katerina, and took great pleasure in killing you, Tygra." Nikolia settled down, and brought on a very cold facade. "But what about now? You're the only one I can honestly speak to."

Nikolia put his hood up over his head so it blocked half of his face. "We need to take care of each other because we're both crazy."

He moved across the room to where the servant had already drawn him a bath.

"I'm going to take a bath. I expect you to be gone before I'm done," turning around, he noticed that no one was there. "Huh, so that's what that feels."

He approached it, tugging at his boots and taking off his clothes as he did so, and, naked, stood for a moment, his clothes bundled in his hands, before a full-length mirror on a stand near the porcelain tub. He looked at his reflection with weary eyes. Where had two long decades gone? He straightened. He was older, stronger even, certainly wiser; but he could not ignore the profound fatigue he felt, or the scars from his past, and the bolts holding his arms in place.

He threw his clothes onto the bed. Under it, in a locked elm chest, were the secret weapons he had fashioned for himself. He would check them over first thing in the morning, after early morning training. The original hidden-blade never left him except when he was naked, and then it was always within arm's reach. He wore it always; it had become part of his body.

Sighing with relief, Nikolia slipped into the bath. Immersed to his neck in the hot water, breathing in the gently scented steam, he closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath of relief. Peace at last. And he had better make the most of the unknown time he had of it.

He had dozed off and begun to dream when the softest of noises, the door opening and closing behind it, causing him to wake, instantly alert, like an animal. Silently his hand sought the blade and with a practiced movement he attached it to his wrist. Then, in one fluid movement he turned to the bathroom door and stood upright in the tub, poised for action and looking in the direction of the door.

"Well," said Katerina, grinning as she had Nikolia's blade mere centimeters from her neck, "You certainly haven't lost any inches with the years."

"You have the advantage, Duchesse." Nikolia smiled. "You are fully dressed."

"I expect we could arrange something to change that. But I am waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"For you to say that you don't really need to see for yourself. For you to say that you are sure, even without seeing my naked body that Nature has been as kind to me, if not kinder, as she has been to you." Her grin broadened at Nikolia's confusion. "But I remember you were never as good at paying compliments as you were at ridding the world of evil."

"Come here!"

He drew her to him, pulling at the furisode of her skirt as her fingers flew first at the blade, detaching it, and then at the laces of her kimono. Seconds later he had lifted her into the bath with him, their lips glued to each other and their naked limbs entwined.

* * *

><p>They did not linger in the bath long, but soon got out, drying one another on the rough linen towels the servant had left. Katerina had brought a vial of scented massage oil with her and drew it from a pocket of her dress.<p>

"Now, lie on the bed," she said. "I want to make sure you are good and ready for me."

"Clearly you can see that I am."

"Indulge me. Indulge yourself."

Nikolia smiled. This was better than sleep. Sleep could wait. Sleep, Nikolia would soon find, was obligated to wait three to four hours.

A shameless moan drowned the both of them—the sound of Katerina accepting his descent into madness.

He began to press her back against the bed, pulling his hand away from her face so he could slide them both just under her thighs. Effortlessly, he lifted her up—which caused her to throw her arms around his neck in response—and set her on the bed, her bottom perched on the very edge, Nikolia nestled comfortably between her legs.

But even after he had placed her safely where he wanted, she didn't let go of him just yet. She held him close as they never once broke the kiss, pulling him deeper into her, not caring about her responsibilities or anyone else.

Nikolia ran his hands back up her thighs and left them around her waist. He pushed into her, forcing her onto her back so that he arched over her like a great dark mass.

At last, the kiss was broken, leaving Katerina gasping for breath as she felt her assassin lavish her neck instead. She tipped her chin up so there was little part of her throat unexposed to his advances, and he hummed against her with contentment.

Meanwhile, his hands had grown restless again, and began to wander up her waist, teasing more silky flesh to his desires. His hands were warm against her heated skin, his fingertips teasing delicate parts of her as he drew nearer her chest.

As he began tracing the edge of her breasts, it dawned on Katerina that things were going to become very serious, very fast. She had not been this physically intimate with a man in far too long, and she realized every desire to resist him had fled her. Nikolia felt her begin to squirm beneath him as he teased her relentlessly, and he laughed against her throat before finally giving her what she wanted.

Katerina suppressed another breathy moan when his hands slipped under her to seek out that glorious, soft flesh. The warmth of his palms caused a voracious heat to pool between her thighs. She pulled her legs around his waist impulsively and Nikolia groaned, a low rumble in his chest comprised of deep male satisfaction.

He pulled away from her throat and slid down her body, meeting her foggy gaze for a lingering moment before lowering his head to her stomach and placing small, unassuming kisses there. Katerina suddenly felt it was harder and harder to breathe as Nikolia slowly made his way down her abdomen, his lips, his tongue, making a point of exploring the softness of her curves.

When he reached the top of her pelvis, he paused, and looked back up at her, pleased to see her chest heaving. When she realized he had stopped, she lifted her head to watch him. A rather wicked grin curled his dampened lips.

Although he had grown painfully hard, he was in no hurry. If he had learned one thing about women, it was that doing certain things slowly drove them insane. And this was an opportunity he did not want to waste.

Nikolia bestowed increasingly lascivious kisses and licks to each inch of her body as it was exposed to him, and soon enough, there was nothing concealed from him. Katerina cried out in surprise as he parted her with his fingers and ran his tongue along her delicate folds.

Her back arched up off of the bed, but the assasin held her hips securely in place, his fingers digging into her yielding thighs. His lips closed around her swollen clit and a jolt of white-hot ecstasy coursed up her spine, her breathing becoming far more labored. She felt his tongue, warm, wet, and rough, swirl around that sensitive bit of flesh, and she was nearly coming undone.

Sensing her impending climax, Nikolia ceased his actions, lifting his head and licking his lips. Katerina felt incredibly unprepared for any of this. She did not know whether to cry, or scream, or beg shamelessly for more. But although things were rapidly becoming a daze, she knew she wanted him to finish what he had started.

Nikolia chuckled under his breath as he watched her pleasure wane, seeing her cheeks flushed with long-repressed carnal wont. He could easily understand why so many suitors had dueled over her. And it pleased him that much more, then, to have her writhing beneath him.

"Please, Nikolia, don't leave me like this!" she was begging at this point.

At last, there was nothing preventing him from claiming her the way he wanted—fucking her until she screamed his name.

Nikolia wasted little time in fulfilling her needs and was just as quick in repositioning himself comfortably between her supple thighs. He pressed forward, leaning over her once more, taking her wrists in his hands and pinning them above her head. He bent down, touched his lips to her ear and murmured:

"Do you want it, Katerina? Are you aching to have me buried inside of your soaking cunt? Hmm?"

She felt lightheaded. Words failed her for a moment, but she fought to find her voice. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore, except giving herself to him as completely as possible. Everything about the way he touched her and the way he made her feel was just so right.

The danger, the charm…she wanted everything. Finally, she answered desperately:

"Yes…Oh Gods, Nikolia, please!…"

There it was. His name on her lips. Begging him to take her. To Nikolia, he had never heard anything more pleasing. No praise had ever sounded sweeter than what she had just uttered.

He groaned, "Yes…" against her throat and sheathed himself inside of her with a single stroke.

He lost himself in the glorious sensation, her entire body tightening around him, squeezing him in all the right places. Katerina cried out, never wanting that initial exquisite pain to subside.

Given everything that led up to this point, they both knew it would be fast and heavy, and they were perfectly happy with that. Nikolia withdrew from her soaking heat and thrust back into her with hardly a second's pause. He felt her hips shift to meet his strokes, allowing him a satisfyingly deep penetration, growing closer to that spot he knew would make her a dripping mess.

Katerina's fingers curled around his, and he felt her nails bite into his flesh on the back of his hands. He hissed in her ear and decided that two could play at that game. He gave a particularly aggressive thrust into her, and sunk his teeth into her dampened flesh, where the lines between what was shoulder and what was neck were blurred. And in that moment, he struck that delicious spot inside of her with illustrious force. Katerina cried out, Nikolia's name pouring from her lips in a deafening exaltation.

Her muscles shuddered around his aching length, locking him into an embrace he had no desire to escape from. In a great crash of elements and sensations, the assassin's breath caught in his throat and a wave of surging pleasure enraptured him, and not just physically.

A second later, as he came down off of his climactic high, Nikolia realized at some point, he had let go of Katerina's hands, which were now tightly wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a passionate, yet languid kiss. Her actions were unexpected, but he welcomed them with equal fervor. She murmured his name again, and he tasted it on his tongue. Like triumph and satisfaction. Like Katerina.

He grinned against her lips as they both lay in the darkness, trying to catch their breath. But Nikolia's mind was still working, but barely, even in the drowsy darkness, and he thought about what he'd said earlier. He knew he didn't keep promises very often. To him, they were poorly-founded agreements that were rarely worth pledging. But this was one promise he was very, very glad he kept this one.

Katerina curled up in his arms. She fell asleep before him and he watched her for a while. Nature had indeed been kind to her. Her slender yet curvaceous body, with its narrow hips, broad shoulders, and medium but perfect breasts, was surely that of a twenty-two-year-old, and her cloud of fine, fine bright red hair that tickled his chest as she laid her head on it carried the same scent that had driven him wild all those years ago. Once or twice in the depth of the night, he woke to find he had rolled away from her, and when he took her in his arms again, she nestled up to him with a tiny sigh of joy and closed her hand round his forearm; but she did not wake.

Nikolia would consider this to be the best night of his life, so far.

They overslept, of course, but Nikolia was not about to forgo another bout in favor of cannon practice, though a part of his mind reproved him for this. Meanwhile, he could distantly hear the sounds of marching soldiers - clattering men moving at a running march - and shouting orders, and then, the boom of cannon.

"Target practice with the new cannon," said Nikolia, when for a moment Katerina stopped him and looked at him quizzically. "Maneuvers. Cortez's a hard general."

The heavy brocade curtains across the windows shut out most of the light and the room remained cocooned in comfortable dimness; and no servant came to disturb them. Soon, Katerina's moans of pure pleasure drowned out any other noise to his ear. His hands tightened around her strong bottom - she was pulling him up urgently towards her, when there was a knock at the door.

"So much for our next round." Nikolia whispered.

"I'll take care of it," said Katerina as she kissed him. She then spoke in her demanding, duchess, voice. "Who is it?"

It was a servant, who knew better then to disturb her lady. "I'm sorry, my lady. But General Cortez requires..." she stopped. There was a second servant speaking to her. "Oh... oh, I see... never mind, my lady. Please forgive me."

Nikolia and Katerina looked at each other. Nikolia was the first to say, "That was weird."

He got up and looked out the only window that was the closest to the city. Nikolia could see thick black smoke past the outer wall, but very minor damage to the ramparts. Whatever it was, Cortez had it under control.

"What's wrong?" said Katerina. She stood by his side, using her kimono as a makeshift robe.

"Nothing," he wrapped his hands around her. "Nothing at all."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes:<em>

_Hello faithful readers, The New Mandalord is here._

_First of all, let me address the first question. I know this is a Lion-O Cheetara smut fic, but I made Nikolia too much of an interesting character. That my PM box has been over flowing with rquests. So instead writing his own fanfic, I decided to write a mini-chapter... that goes over 9000!_

_Second, Nikolia, you're on your own when it comes to the fan girls._

_Fuuko no Miko: GET HIM!_

_Run Nik, Run_

_Later and be sure to review._


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